


you've got that power (over me).

by romantasha



Series: the superverse [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Marvelverse looking a little more like DCverse, Mild Sexual Content, Modern Era, Swearing, TW // Mentions of Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 71,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26360473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romantasha/pseuds/romantasha
Summary: "It's you," Daniel whispers. He's in awe, looking at Quake. She steps back away from him. "Let me help you," he says, reaching out toward her injured arm slowly.Daniel only gets a moment more to admire her glowing eyes and her purple hair before she turns and runs away, her hand slipping out of his.-In which the superheroes of the Marvelverse actually try to keep their identities a secret and Daniel Sousa is determined to figure out who is behind the mysterious Quake mask. Superhero AU with MCU tie-ins.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson (mentioned), Robbie Reyes/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: the superverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967422
Comments: 1064
Kudos: 689





	1. the only one I know, the only one on my mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Well.
> 
> I completely ignored my Astro Ambassadors fic to write this one. I had the idea well before S7 even ended, but I'm not one to write total AUs, so I kept putting it out of my mind. Yet, the plot stuck with me, gnawing at me and consuming my brain until I had no choice but to write it. And let me tell you, it's become a bit of a monster.
> 
> So, just a couple vague points that might help clear out some early confusion:  
> \- It's all in modern-day. Peggy, Steve, and Daniel are in modern-day with no weird ice-freezing or time-travel.  
> \- This universe is a bit more like the DC-verse, where superheroes actually keep their identities a secret, and somehow manage to do so with just a mask. So, no one knows who the others are unless otherwise specified.  
> \- S.H.I.E.L.D. is a little less of a spy organization and just more of a public superhero containment/protection bureau. So, not too far from S.H.I.E.L.D. before the Fall. (No Hydra.)
> 
> This is a Dousy fic, ultimately, but there is a good amount of QuakeRider in the beginning. It becomes fairly apparent why. Also, it's not an annoying love triangle, I promise — it barely is a love triangle at all.
> 
> Also, [you can see how Quake looks here.](https://twitter.com/oswinss/status/1303385321879425024) It's basically just her normal S6/S7 suit, with purple hair and a purple mask. Sexy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She just broke into her boss's boss's boss's boss's office and pretended to be a C.I.A. agent to get a folder of information she already knew. There was no doubt that soon enough, Sousa would call his C.I.A. friends and find out that she's a fraud.

She knows approximately four facts about Daniel Sousa.

  1. He's Peggy Carter's old partner.
  2. He hates technology.
  3. He lost a leg in the war.
  4. He's technically her boss.



That's enough to tell Daisy that this is an absolutely awful idea, even as she sits in his office, shifting through paperwork. She's got a wavy, blonde wig and big glasses on, which she hopes will change her appearance just enough from her employee photo on the off-chance he actually takes a look at the hire paperwork.

The great thing about the second point is that since she works as a lowly IT specialist at S.H.I.E.L.D, she has very little reason to ever run into the West Coast Chief. Still, it's a close call, and since everyone knows he's such a good agent, she worries that she won't even make it through the day to worry about running into him in the future.

She wouldn't take such a risk if it weren't so important.

Daisy moves onto the next file cabinet, which, she quickly finds out, is entirely dedicated to her.

_ Quake. _

To the world, Quake and Daisy Johnson are two separate people. The identity of Quake remains a mystery, just like all the other supers out there. Iron Man was the main exception. When Tony Stark outed himself at a press conference, everyone he cared about had immediately become targets to supervillains, and while Stark had the fortune to protect them, it became clear that anyone an ounce poorer had no such luck. Any outed supers — whether hero or villain — were plucked away one by one, either by their enemies, the bigoted public (riled up by the Watchdogs), S.H.I.E.L.D, or the Ghost Rider.

_ The Ghost Rider. _

The reason she's here, risking everything, in the first place.

Despite her mission, curiosity gets the better of her. She dives into the S.H.I.E.L.D. cabinet dedicated to her super self, peering into the first folder. It's filled with photos of her in her mask with her purple hair — (Oh, isn't that quite a flattering photo? She needs a copy.) — and some newspaper clippings about the earthquakes around the city. There's also pinpoints on the map for extra measure.

"You sure did your research, Mr. Sousa," Daisy comments out loud. Then, she sees a little handwritten note on the side.

_ HIGHLY DANGEROUS. _

It's underlined no less than three times. "'Highly dangerous'?" Daisy scoffs. "Quake's been saving all your asses for ages!"

It's S.H.I.E.L.D's job to monitor any powered people out there. While supers' identities are hidden from the public, high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were generally aware. They provided protection, assistance, and, when required, the power to stop them.

Anyone that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't control was a potential threat.

Daisy knew it was for the best, and overall, she supported the organization whole-heartedly. They haven't misused their authority and, as far as she knew, they truly cared about the well-being of powered people and had sound judgement of when it was time to lock them up.

She hasn't doubted their actions thus far, but that doesn't mean that she wants to ever relinquish her control. Rules and regulations would only hold her back.

She smacks the folder closed, annoyed.

Daisy starts to browse other folders, quickly skimming witness accounts and citizens suspected of being Quake. There is no Daisy Johnson on the list, but they do seem to suspect that she has an inside tie to S.H.I.E.L.D, or is S.H.I.E.L.D. herself, and that she has contact with Jemma Simmons and likely also Leopold Fitz.

Daisy cringes at that one, realizing that she needs to keep a better distance from her friends while she's Quake. For the longest time, Fitz was the only one who knew about her powers, helping design her suit and mask and the automatic purple hair. Even as a S.H.I.E.L.D. engineer, he vowed to never tell anyone about her secret. He's helped her with missions, providing her intel and backup.

Jemma, on the other hand, didn't know a thing.

She's met Quake on a few occasions, when Daisy got desperate, and even helped her out a little, but she has no clue who is really behind the mask.

Both Daisy and Fitz felt awful about lying to their roommate.

(Well, Fitz's full-time roommate, and Daisy's occasional roommate. Daisy technically lived in her van, but oftentimes, she finds herself crashing on their couch because of the actual AC for the hot L.A. summers and a fully-stocked fridge with a convenient bathroom right there.)

The thing about Jemma is that she is a terrible liar, and on top of that, she's the Head of the Science Division at S.H.I.E.L.D, which means she is subjected to regular lie-detector-monitored interviews, sometimes with the one and only Daniel Sousa. Even though they wanted to tell her the truth, they just couldn't. Keeping it from her was the only way to protect Daisy's secret and Jemma's job.

Reluctantly, Daisy puts the Quake files away and resumes her mission.

She searches the file cabinets until she finds the one folder dedicated to Ghost Rider. It sticks out like a sore thumb, because despite the lack of quantity, the folder itself just exudes importance and priority.

She pulls it out and takes it over to the desk. Opening it is a bit of a disappointment, because the contents are bare and miniscule. She barely gets a minute to really get into it when —

The door opens.

_ Shit. _

"Who the hell are you?" Daniel Sousa asks her, voice stern. It takes everything in her to not freeze and look at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She keeps her head down, still scanning the files, seemingly confident and like she's meant to be there.

"Who I am is on a need-to-know basis," she tells him calmly.

Sousa looks back and points at the sign on his door, signaling that this is his office. "I need to know."

Daisy hears the utter frustration in his voice and cringes inwardly. Maybe today was not a great day to do this, because he seems like he's got some other things going on. Outwardly, she smiles slyly and looks up at him while removing her glasses. "Ah, no, you don't, because I don't exist and we never met. Now, can you shut the door, please?"

She's seen Daniel Sousa a few times in her life. In photos, of course, and in a couple of giant S.H.I.E.L.D. meetings that fill up an auditorium. She's always found him attractive, but she still finds her eyes wandering a little as she observes him up-close for the first time.

Sousa is quick to narrow his eyes at her. "Not to be rude, but it's been one of those mornings," he says as he approaches her, "so produce some credentials or I'm gonna put you in handcuffs."

_ Deep breath, Johnson, we've rehearsed this scenario. _

She stands and pulls her flawless fake I.D. from her pocket. "Here," she says, handing it to him. He takes it. "I should inform you that's not my real name. My initials are 'C', 'I', and 'A'. Catch my drift?"

He looks up from the I.D. card. "Subtle, but yeah, I get it." Daisy smiles softly at the victory. "I'm also gonna call your bosses in Foggy Bottom and confirm it."

"Oh, please do," Daisy says, trying to play along with his ruse without suspicion. She picks up the phone and hands it to him. "I'm sure they would love to learn how the West Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know that the C.I.A. is actually located in Langley." At the look Sousa gives her, she grins. "Did you think you'd trip a C.I.A. agent with the headquarter location?"

"It would've tripped up a civilian," he says simply, and she can't argue with that.

"Feel free to call my boss" Daisy replies, "but it's just past noon on the East Coast and we all know how Frank just loves his lunch time. So, we can sit here for an hour and wait for him, or we can have a quick chat and I'll be out of your hair in five minutes. I am aware that you have a meeting with the one and only Captain America in fifteen minutes, so I believe the latter may be in your best interest."

Sousa freezes, his jaw locking. "How do you know about that?"

"C.I.A. We know all," Daisy tells him with a grin.

(In truth, she knows because Captain America told Quake last night. While Sousa's name was never dropped, there was likely no other candidate. The knowledge is what had her pick this time and day to break into his office, because she figured the chances of him dropping by his office between his check-in with the science division — which she knows about because of FitzSimmons — and his meeting with Captain America was miniscule, but, well, here he was.)

"Even about you, Mr. Sousa," she continues on. "How you were a marine in the war until you took shrapnel in Iraq. Helped Peggy Carter to build this whole place and created the Index. Were an integral part of making sure the Avengers got to the Battle of New York. And those are just the investigations that I am cleared to talk about."

(It sounds a bit fancy, but honestly, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. knows the basics.)

He considers this just for a second before conceding. "Why are you really here? Is this about the report I sent you guys?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that," she replies smoothly.

"Well, I hope so, because if S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated with Watchdogs, we need to root it out, right now, before any supers are endangered."

This revelation shocks Daisy, because the potential Watchdog infiltration is something she's been investigating for a while now. She's never found any concrete evidence, and everyone she brings the theory up to thinks she's insane. Yet, one of the main leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D. was here, nearly pleading for her to believe him.

"Look, all I can say is that you are not crazy. And if you could lead me to the Ghost Rider, he might be the key to proving it."

Sousa looks her up and down. "The Ghost Rider?"

"He's been going after the Watchdogs — "

"I know he has," he says quickly. "He's also been going after normal upstanding citizens. We've checked them out up and down, no Watchdog affiliations. Guy's a serial killer."

"I have every intention of bringing him to justice," Daisy clarifies, "but if I can get him to lead us to the Watchdogs, it's my duty to take that chance."

Sousa nods down to the folder on the Ghost Rider that she left on the desk. "Well," he starts, "that's just about all we have on him."

Her heart sinks.

Sousa leans on the desk, propping his cane against it. "No one who has seen him has lived to tell the tale, except for a few random bystanders who saw it from their distant apartment windows or likewise."

_ That's not true, _ Daisy thinks.

(Quake had seen him on more than one occasion, but not much more than a blur of flames and the trail of bodies he leaves behind.)

Daisy shuffles through the papers desperately. Flaming head. A red car. A burning vengeance.

"He's careful, that's for sure," Sousa finishes.

So, all this was for nothing.

She risked her job and her identity for  _ nothing. _

"Thanks for your time, Mr. Sousa," she says quickly, closing the folder and handing it over to him. She promptly stands up. "I'll reach out if there's anything else I need."

Daisy beelines towards the door, not turning back even when Sousa calls weakly after her, "Wait!"

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy drives around L.A. for a little while after that. She feels ashamed and anxious and just all sorts of incompetent after that morning. She just broke into her boss's boss's boss's boss's office and pretended to be a C.I.A. agent to get a folder of information she already knew. There was no doubt that soon enough, Sousa would call his C.I.A. friends and find out that she's a fraud. And if she ever runs into him at work...

She can only hope the blonde hair was a good enough disguise. (It's now gone, and her short, brown hair is free.)

Lincoln is probably laughing at her, if he's really in the heavens up above. She never really believed in that sort of thing, but after his death, it was just about the only thing that kept her going. The thought that Lincoln will always be with her.

(Lincoln was the second person who knew about her powers. She met him on her first superhero outing. At the time, she was a good fighter — with several years of martial arts under her belt — but had a messy control of her powers. Lincoln saved her ass and probably the city that night.

He taught her control. The powers that she feared greatly, but desperately wished to put to good use suddenly turned into her greatest gift.

And, of course, she fell in love with him.

They had a strong bond and an implicit trust in each other. They fought a lot, about S.H.I.E.L.D, about their powers, and about everything in between. The relationship that she and Lincoln shared wasn't perfect, but it was theirs.

And then she made a grave mistake.

Lincoln paid for it with his life and she never forgave herself.

Never will.)

After an hour, her van starts making a funny noise. Daisy groans at her piece of shit engine, and then groans even louder when she realizes where she is.

"Great job, Johnson," she mutters to herself. "You asked for this."

She makes a sharp right turn and within a block, she sees her destination.

_ Canelo's. _

She's been keeping her distance from Robbie since their fallout (breakup?) the other week.

(She met him at S.H.I.E.L.D, just after Lincoln died, when he was brought in as a reluctant consultant to fix up some cars. Particularly, Lola, Coulson's vintage baby.

She and Robbie connected quickly, ending up intertwined with each other in his car that same day they met. After that, they became hesitant friends, who ended up accidentally fucking more often than not. She was desperate to feel anything other than her grief for Lincoln, and well, he's hot, she's hot. That's what she figured was his reasoning.

Until last week, when he promptly rejected her under the basis that she deserved better than him.)

"Is Robbie here?" Daisy asks after she parks at the shop. "Van's busted again."

"Roberto, ya llegó tú novia!" Canelo calls out. Daisy raises her eyebrows, catching the word 'girlfriend' in that sentence with her limited Spanish skills.

Sure enough, Robbie pops out from the back of the shop, wiping his hands on a dirty cloth. "Cállate menso, que no es mi novia," he mumbles.

"I'm touched," Daisy grins. "I didn't know you cared."

Robbie scowls at her at that, and she smiles a little sheepishly.

"Sorry," she amends genuinely. "Van problems."

"You really gotta get a new car, girl," he tells her with the shake of his head. "Pretty sure the engine is just going to explode at this rate."

"That sounds about on track for how my life goes," she laughs.

Robbie gives her a hesitant smile, eyes fondly aflame, as he takes a look at her van.

  
  


-

  
  


As it turns out, because fate absolutely loves cruel jokes, her van needs some intense work and it's gonna take a day or two. Robbie, of course, ever the gentleman, offers to take her home and have her sleep over.

She's slept over plenty of times, but usually in a different context. So, it felt a little weird to accept his offer.

Gabe's already home when her and Robbie walk through the door. Robbie immediately goes to put his things away and change out of his work clothes.

"Hey, Gabe," she says quietly.

He raises his eyebrows at her. "Quake," he greets her, making sure Robbie couldn't hear.

(Gabe is the third, and final, person to find out that she's Quake. She exposed her powers in front of him while saving him from a group of thugs one day. She was lucky that Robbie missed it completely, but sure enough, Gabe is the most observant person she's ever met.

It was before her and Robbie had really gotten close, and he was just giving her a ride from work when a blackout happened.

Originally, Gabe had kicked her out in a promise to keep her secret as long as she stayed away from Robbie, but she couldn't. In a vague sense, they worked together at S.H.I.E.L.D. Eventually, Gabe had reluctantly let her back into their lives, saying that his brother was less "mopey" with her around.

She vowed to never bring Robbie into the whole superhero business, which was good enough for him.

And hey, Gabe really liked being in the loop. Being friends with a superhero was fun.)

"Haven't seen you in a bit," Gabe comments lightly. "And Robbie's been extra mopey lately."

"It's his own fault," Daisy tells him matter-of-factly.

"Daisy's gonna stay the night," Robbie announces as he gets back into the room.

Gabe rolls his eyes. "You don't need to announce when you're gonna have sex with your girlfriend," he replies, deadpan.

Daisy chokes on laughter and Robbie splutters, ears turning red. "She's not my girlfriend!" he protests. "And she's just staying over. We're not having sex."

"Not anymore," Daisy mutters a little bitterly, an amused smile still on her face. Gabe sends her a disgusted look and Daisy raises her eyebrows at him in challenge.

"Insufferable, I say," Gabe sighs, rolling himself away. "Have fun, kids."

As soon as he's away and out of earshot, Robbie rounds on her. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh, come on, he already knows," Daisy tells him. "He probably feels better now that he doesn't have to guess if a strange noise was a creaky floorboard or his brother getting into someone's pants." He droops a little. She narrows her eyes at him. "Don't you dare pout, Reyes."

The pouting expression goes away quickly. "I hope you know that Gabe probably thinks those strange sounds are us anyway."

"He's a big kid," Daisy sighs, "he can handle it."

"You okay?" Robbie asks suddenly. "You seem a little...tense."

"Just a bad day at work," she brushes off. She twiddles her fingers nervously. "I usually come to you to forget about those kinds of things, but, well, guess that's not much of an option anymore."

And God, does she want to forget any and all thoughts of Daniel Sousa. And how she'll probably get fired the next morning for breaking into his office as a fake C.I.A. agent. And probably exposed herself as a superhero trying to take down the Watchdogs.

Not that she can tell Robbie any of that.

Robbie clears his throat. "Is that why you came anyway?"

"My van broke down before I caught up with my thoughts," Daisy clarifies.

She stares at him in challenge. His expression darkens a little, obviously interested, but he rubs his hand against his cheek to calm himself.

"I meant what I said, last time," Robbie says softly. "I'm no good for you."

(To Daisy, this is utterly ridiculous. It always has been utterly ridiculous. Robbie is one of the nicest guys she's ever hooked up with.  _ She's _ the one who's no good.)

"I don't think that's really on you to decide," she points out.

He shrugs. "No, it isn't. It's up to you, and I won't deny you if you don't care, but it's true."

"First off, we're not in a relationship. So, you could be the trashiest guy out there and I'd still have fun, because it's just sex. It's not like we have feelings." Something strange flashes in Robbie's eyes, but she ignores it. Her expression softens a little. "And second, you're not the trashiest guy out there. You're  _ you. _ You're actually  _ sweet _ and whatever. I like being your friend, preferably with benefits."

Robbie blinks at her and starts coming closer. "Friends, huh?" he asks with a bit of a husky voice.

Daisy hums in agreement as she leans against the wall, letting Robbie crowd her space. "Didn't take you long to change your mind."

One of his hands presses on the wall on the side of her head as he leans in. "I said my piece, and you still came back."

"What can I say?" she teases. "You're really good with your tongue."

Daisy presses her lips to his urgently. Robbie immediately responds, gathering her into his arms and lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Neither of them say much else after that.

  
  


-

  
  


Later, she's curled into Robbie as he worships her body, thoughts of Daniel Sousa far from her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we all know who Ghost Rider is. But Daisy certainly doesn't.
> 
> This chapter was a set-up of the verse and the story to come! Hopefully, it's intriguing enough.
> 
> Next time: Sousa thinks about the mysterious girl who was in his office, who was most certainly not C.I.A.


	2. i wanna know who you are.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's good," Piper comments, interrupting his thoughts. "There's not a single shot of her face here. She knew where the camera was."
> 
> Just Daniel's luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2, here we go! It's all in Daniel's POV. After this chapter, it'll kind of go back and forth within the chapters, but I wanted to get two solo ones out there to get a feel for these characters and their lives.

He's already had a pretty shit day, and it wasn't even noon yet.

_ 8:00AM _

Peggy Carter, his ex-partner and ex-girlfriend, is in town with her boyfriend, Steve.

Daniel likes Steve. Steve's a great guy. And you know, he's goddamn Captain America, which makes him a fucking superhero. Great. Just phenomenal. Why wouldn't Peggy love him?

What isn't so great, on the other hand, is the reminder of how Peggy left Daniel for him. She was with Steve before, and she assured Daniel that she was over him, and then she ran right back to him.

It stung.

_ 9:00AM _

This girl, who most certainly was not C.I.A, had broken into his office. And somehow, she knew that Steve was Captain America.

The already bad day became an awful day.

Daniel knows for certain that this girl isn't C.I.A. because he knows Frank. He knows how he doesn't pay attention to lunchtime, first of all. Second of all, Frank's jurisdiction has absolutely nothing to do with supers, so sending an agent here makes no goddamn sense.

But, she knew that he had a personal meeting with Steve and Peggy, and she referred to him as Captain America.

So, he humored her.

And now that's going pretty badly too.

_ 11:00AM _

"What do you mean, you lost her?!" Daniel yells into the phone. They were supposed to be trailing her. These are his best agents and they  _ lost _ her.

"Sorry, boss," the agent tells him. "She walks into this shop and she never came out. We scoured it — no Asian girl with blonde hair."

Awful day? Nope, absolutely shit day.

(And he's not one to cuss lightly.)

  
  


-

  
  


"Sorry Peg," Daniel starts, a little desperately, "I know I promised I'd be there, but I had to follow a lead. Someone broke into S.H.I.E.L.D. She knows about Captain America."

There's a silence that follows, and then Peggy quietly speaks, "Is she a Watchdog?"

"Not sure," he says honestly. "Maybe. I'm about to go over the tapes."

"Okay," she replies, "but don't think that this gets you out of this. I expect to see you at dinner."

"Fine, I'll — " The line clicks as Peggy hangs up. Daniel sighs. " — be there."

He flips his phone closed as he walks into the I.T. room. It's not too far from the science lab, as most of them collaborate with each other.

He's met with the sight of two agents throwing popcorn at each other. Upon seeing him, they both jump up in shock, eyes widening.

"Chief Sousa, sir!" the short-haired girl says.

Daniel gives a small smile. "Agent Piper, right?"

"That's me! This is Agent Davis." Piper bumps into the guy next to her. "He's just visiting...during his break," she says between her teeth, more towards Davis than Daniel.

"I'm learning to be a pilot," Davis says helpfully.

"Uh-huh," Daniel hums, truly not caring. He moves a bit closer. "Who would I go to if I needed to look at the security tapes from my office?"

"That'd be Agent Johnson, sir," Piper supplies. "She's our computer specialist. Hacking, technical issues...whatever you need." And then she's quiet again, looking at him with big eyes and a large smile.

Daniel blinks. "And...where can I find this Agent Johnson?"   
  


Her eyes widen in realization. "Oh! Daisy's out for the day, actually. I can leave a note for her, if you'd like?"

He huffs through his nose, a bit frustrated. "Who can I go to to look at the security tapes  _ right now, _ Agent Piper?"

"Oh!" she exclaims, "I could do that for you! ...Sir."

"Yes, that would be appreciated," Daniel responds, rubbing his nose. "It's kind of urgent, please."

Piper is then quick to sit down at one of the large computers and start typing. Suddenly, a myriad of security footage pops up. Daniel points at the one looking at his office. "That one. Look at around 9AM." She clicks on it, and it prompts a password.

"All yours, Chief."

Daniel looks at it skeptically. "Well, I don't know the password."

"It's asking for it," Piper says obviously.

"I've never stepped foot in this room before. It's not my password," he insists.

"I don't know!" she exclaims. "Swipe your key card or something!"

_ Huh. _

Daniel does just that, and the password auto-fills, letting them in.

"So glad that worked," Piper whispers and she starts to back up the tape. He silently agrees. God, does he hate technology. As she rewinds the tape, suddenly the blonde girl pops up. "Pretty," Piper comments.

He certainly doesn't disagree with that, but he would never admit that out loud.

They rewind all the way back to when she first entered the room. "Is there sound?" Daniel asks.

"Not very good sound, but yeah," Piper says as she turns off the mute. "We'll have to watch in real-time."

The girl —  _ Skye,  _ as her fake I.D. said — goes for the filing cabinet dedicated to files on the supers. Now, Daniel is careful. He keeps their real identities out of those. They're only listed in highly secure areas that only a few agents have access to. But even then, she doesn't seem to be focused on any of the files.

Not until Quake.

Now, for Daniel, Quake is one of the biggest enigmas he's ever encountered. He's dealt with a lot of superheroes out there, but no one like Quake. A super who is obviously so determined to do the right thing, but always leaves a trail of destruction in her wake. A vigilante who robs banks and takes down buildings and strings up the Watchdogs for S.H.I.E.L.D. to find. She obviously has trust in S.H.I.E.L.D, yet she runs from them. She never turned herself in, as in accordance with the Sokovia Accords.

_ "You sure did your research, Mr. Sousa," _ he hears Skye say over the feed. He frowns, just a little.

Perhaps Daniel has spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to figure her out.

So what if he feels a little defensive at this Watchdog agent looking at all his careful investigations?

_ "'Highly dangerous'?" _ Skye scoffs.  _ "Quake's been saving all your asses for ages!" _

Well, scratch that Watchdog theory.

This girl's  _ a fan. _

"She's good," Piper comments, interrupting his thoughts. "There's not a single shot of her face here. She knew where the camera was."

Just Daniel's luck.

  
  


-

  
  


Skye stays on his mind all day. He knows it's not her real name, but he tries digging through old files. He asks around subtly, without spreading that S.H.I.E.L.D. was broken into — and finds that no one's seen her or heard of her.

("She has a faint scar on her cheek," he tries to say, but that doesn't seem to jog anyone's memory.)

He expected it, but it was still disappointing.

Whoever this girl is, she seems to believe that the Watchdogs have found their way into S.H.I.E.L.D. No one else really believes it — they trust that the organization is secure and that any moles are quickly rooted out. But supers are slowly being picked off, somehow with information that is only known by high-ranking government officials. It wasn't a coincidence.

(Steve was the only one who truly believed him, ironically. It's why he and Peggy are staying in Los Angeles for an indefinite amount of time, instead their long-term home in D.C. There's not much known information about the Watchdogs, but it's pretty certain that their headquarters are out here. Steve's been paranoid since the beginning that government control of supers would be misused — only his faith in Peggy is what convinced him to be a face for S.H.I.E.L.D.

And because Steve believed him, Peggy was inclined to believe him as well. Not fully, but enough.)

And now, the kicker for an awful day, he now gets to have dinner with his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend. Because wouldn't everyone just love to have that after a tough day at work?

"This is...nice," is the only thing Daniel can think to say when he sees the extravagant table layout.

Peggy sets a large dish down. "Well, I did try to make things more relaxed with a coffee break in your office, but you cancelled."

"I had a more pressing matter at hand!" he protests.

She doesn't press him any further, instead focusing on finishing setting up the table. The three of them settle down in awkward silence, getting ready to dig into their plates.

"I hope you enjoy the roast," Peggy remarks, "Steve made it."

"Perks of being home during the day," Steve adds easily, grinning.

"Right," Daniel responds with a dull smile on his face, "because you're a superhero at night."

Steve's grin fades and he looks down towards his plate.

("Give it up," someone once told Daniel. "No girl's gonna trade in a red, white, and blue shield for an aluminum crutch.")

Daniel finds his thoughts drifting to Quake again. He wonders if she's got a day job, or if she's out there cooking an extravagant roast for her loved ones. If she even has loved ones. His thoughts get more intense, as he wonders for the millionth time where she is, what she believes in, and why she hasn't come to S.H.I.E.L.D.

They've never managed to capture her and he thinks that perhaps they never will.

"Daniel?" Peggy interjects his thoughts, looking at him worriedly. "You still with us?"

"Yeah, sorry," he replies, shaking his head a little. "Just...thinking."

"About the girl in your office?"

"No," he says. "But that's bothering me, too."

"It is a bit worrisome," she agrees. "But, Daniel... The Watchdogs?"

"I don't think she's a Watchdog," Daniel clarifies. "She seemed to be a fan of Quake. And she said she thought that Ghost Rider could lead S.H.I.E.L.D. to the moles."

This catches Steve's attention. "You said this girl knew that I was Captain America. How?"

"No clue," Daniel tells him. "She said she knew I had a meeting with Captain America, but my meeting was listed as with Steve."

Steve looks back down, his brow furrowing. After a minute, it wipes off his face and he smiles. "I'm sure we're worrying over nothing."

Daniel hums as he stuffs his fork in his face, trying to clear his mind off of work and Skye and Quake and just about everything plaguing him at the moment. And that's when he sees it.

He just about chokes as he realizes that Peggy has a ring on her left hand now; one that's gleaming, shining right into his eyes. "You're engaged?"

Peggy and Steve share a shy smile with each other as she holds out her hand a little. "Yes," she says. "Steve proposed the other night. That's why we wanted to speak to you."

"Well, congratulations," Daniel tells them both, a genuine smile on his lips. He's happy for them, truly. Yes, there's a pang in his heart as he thinks about how he'll forever be alone because the world is right — no one would choose him. But he loves Peggy and despite his bitterness, he also thinks Steve's an amazing guy. They deserve to be happy. "How's that going to work, then? The S.H.I.E.L.D. Director being married to the super face of the organization?" He means for it to be a joke, but...

Peggy puts her fork down gently and a frown forms on her face. "Daniel," she starts softly, but firmly. The intensity in her voice has his attention. "Steve and I are going to be retiring."

Daniel blinks. "Retiring?"

"Both of our jobs are very dangerous and...we want to start a family," Steve fills in.

Peggy finishes, "It didn't seem fair to ask Steve to quit his night job for me and he didn't want to ask me to quit S.H.I.E.L.D. and we ended up deciding that it was best for us to both just...get away."

"O...kay," Daniel says slowly, a little in shock. "And...?"

"This isn't immediate," Peggy clarifies. "A few years, perhaps. Steve isn't just gonna stop saving people just like that — it needs to be in good hands. Like S.H.I.E.L.D."

She levels him with a hopeful look and his breath catches. He understands what she's asking of him and his mouth runs dry. "Who will be — "

"Fury's been more interested in international engagements to focus on being Director," she says. "There will be a lot of changes in the coming years, and I hope you will be the one to lead it."

"Who will — " He gets a little tongue-tied. He clears his throat. "Who will be Chief — of either coast?"

"That can be discussed later," Peggy says kindly. "For now, let's eat."

And then all three of their cellphones chime at once.

Of course.

  
  


-

  
  


The Watchdogs were at it again. They set an explosive in a high-rise building and now dozens of civilians were trapped. Daniel drives a bit like a maniac to get there, with Steve now in his full Captain America getup.

(It looks utterly ridiculous to Daniel, but who is he to judge?)

To a normal citizen, this was a random terrorist attack.

To Daniel and Peggy, it was quickly apparent that it was a targeted attack. This is the building that Slingshot lives in.

(Slingshot is one of the few dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who also is a super. Most supers are contractual, or just pop in when the world goes to hell, but Slingshot is always around, night and day. By day, she goes by the name Agent Elena Rodriguez and she investigates anonymous supers, contacting them and bringing them in.)

"I'll call Agent Mackenzie," Peggy says quickly. "Captain, get those civilians to safety. Agent Sousa, check the status with the officers."

They both nod at her as she storms away, phone in hand.

And then.

The earth rumbles.

"Quake's here," Daniel says plainly as he tries to steady himself. Captain America looks up at the skyline and sure enough, Quake is jumping into the burning building.

"Looks like we've got a party," Cap says before rushing into the building himself. Daniel hesitates for a moment, and then when Cap is out of view, he follows.

"Daniel, get back here!" Peggy yells, but it's too late. He's made up his mind.

His prosthetic is a good one, but the stairs are still a struggle, especially with the smoke clouding his vision and filling his lungs. He hears the distant grunts and bangs of fighting.

The Watchdogs are here.

Daniel takes out his gun, just in case.

In the end, he makes it to Slingshot's apartment without too much struggle.

He desperately hopes that she wasn't home, because if she was, there's no possible way she could've survived. The apartment took the brunt of the explosion, blowing a hole right through the side of the building. The area is burnt and black, the fire already raging through it. It's obviously an unstable area, and he shouldn't be there, but he finds himself searching for bodies.

Daniel hears voices nearby, approaching. One he recognizes as Steve's — he always recognizes it, even despite the difference when he puts on the suit — but the other sounds familiar. He quickly pieces together that its Quake.

"When I told you that last night, I didn't expect you — " Captain America starts, sounding angry.

Quake quickly interjects, "How can you be sure it was me?"

But before Cap can respond to her, he spots Daniel. "Agent Sousa," he yells out, clearly shocked. "What are you doing here?"

By the time Daniel sees him in his vision, Quake isn't with him. "You didn't bring her in."

"No," Cap says. "I'm not going to force someone into S.H.I.E.L.D. if they're not hurting anyone."

"She's breaking laws," Daniel justifies, but he knows it's a moot point. Captain America is so righteous and good — he would never use force if he didn't have to. And he's one of the only supers out there without an official handler. Perks of being the Director's boyfriend.

(Most supers work with a S.H.I.E.L.D. handler, whether or not they're out there saving people or simply pretending like their powers don't exist. Handlers are there to protect them, or put them down if the situation calls for it.)

"We've got to get you out of here," Cap says finally. "We got all the civilians out, but the Watchdogs are still sniffing around."

"They're probably looking for Slingshot," Daniel confirms. "There's no body here."

A look of relief passes Captain America's eyes. "Her handler will be glad to hear that."

Daniel nods in agreement.

(Mack has been Slingshot's handler for some time now, and just about everyone suspects that they're together. It's become a bit of a controversy, as handlers are not supposed to get involved. Handlers are meant to be an impartial party, ready to do whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. needs them to.

Daniel lets this instance slide because they're together as agents, which isn't forbidden. He suspects the handler part came later.)

Captain America begins to lead them out of the building, his token shield protectively in front of him. It's a good thing too, because a Watchdog jumps at them unexpectedly, and Cap throws himself forward.

Another Watchdog comes from the side, and Daniel is left to fend for himself. He wacks his cane into his side and bends his head just enough to miss a punch. The Watchdog gets a kick at his legs, sending Daniel to the ground with a grunt.

A gun is lifted and cocked, and he prepares for the end.

Then, Quake saves him.

He feels the vibrations in his soul before he witnesses the gun coming apart and the Watchdog agent going flying above him. Cap's out of view now, overcome by attackers, but he's handling it.

More Watchdogs come lunging at Quake as Daniel jumps back up onto his feet. But before he knows it, she's already fended all of them off. Half a dozen men are unconscious at her feet.

There's a dagger stuck in her shoulder and she yanks it out, yelping.

"It's you," Daniel whispers. He's in awe, looking at Quake. She steps back away from him.

He grabs her hand and, before he can think about it, he blurts out, "Wait, I know you." He hits himself in the head internally for saying something so stupid — of course, he knows her; half the world knows Quake.

He knows that he should be bringing her in right now, but he can't find it in him to arrest her just after she saved his life. And then it hits him that he's there, holding her hand, gripping onto her.

She stares back at him, her mouth open slightly.

"Let me help you," he says, reaching out toward her injured arm slowly.

Daniel only gets a moment more to admire her glowing eyes and her purple hair before she turns and runs away, her hand slipping out of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now Daniel has met Skye and Quake. The question is, when will he meet Daisy?
> 
> Next time: Daisy deals with the fallout of fighting the Watchdogs. Someone else finds out about her secret.


	3. so we'll hide away and never tell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's here," Piper whispers violently next to her. Daisy sluggishly lifts her head up, trying to focus on her. Everything is a little blurry for some reason. An intense nausea settles deep in her gut. "Chief Sousa is here!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't think too much about the science of the suits and all that. It's fiction.
> 
> Also, to clarify, since I don't think it was clear enough last chapter: Daniel doesn't actually recognize Quake. He just said, "I know you," because he's a dumb-dumb who doesn't know how to speak and he said the obvious thing. He only knows Quake from the news.
> 
> Basically, this fic is essentially summarized as two idiots who make assumptions about what the other person said and makes them overly paranoid.

She runs away from Daniel Sousa.

She's never run into him like that before, and of course, it had to be the same day he saw her in his office.

_I know you._

That was just about the most terrifying sentence in her life. He couldn't possibly mean...

Could he?

Now, the thing about the Quake costume is that it was created by one of the smartest minds in the world: Leopold Fitz, her friend and partner. He took some inspiration from Tony Stark's technology on the new Iron Man suits, with nanotech. A lot of supers go with skin tight suits that work under clothing (with L.A. weather, plus the lack of actual protection, no thank you) or some version of nanotech because of the convenience.

(There's nothing worse than missing all the action because you had to go change.)

When Quake puts the mask on, her suit forms, the gauntlets materialize, her hair is masked with a long, purple wig, and her eyes begin to glow. It makes her impossible to recognize, even by her best friends.

Jemma knows her better than anyone, yet has never recognized her as Quake, even with the most obvious signs.

There's no way Sousa, who'd only met her once, could have figured it out that quickly.

And above all, she had Captain America telling her off for breaking into his office, because apparently Daniel Sousa had talked to him about this weird girl who was going off about how Ghost Rider could lead them to the Watchdogs within S.H.I.E.L.D. — which apparently must be some Quake-only theory. And she guesses that Captain America's meeting with the West Coast Chief was some big secret, but how was she supposed to know that? Cap blabbed about it to her and she barely even knows him. They've only seen each other a handful of times, all within the last two weeks.

Daisy regrets ever walking into Sousa's office. Her entire life is unraveling before her eyes and there's nothing she can do to stop it.

She sneaks back into the Reyes household. She usually never would, but her van is still stuck at Canelo's. And the wound in her shoulder is still bleeding.

Daisy skips past Robbie's room as she peels off her mask and bursts into Gabe's. "Hey," she whispers, shaking him awake. "Gabe."

He blinks. "Daisy?"

"You wanted to be a med student, yeah?" she asks vaguely.

Gabe scrunches his brow, pushing his body up a little. "Uh, did you really wake me up just to ask — " He sees the wound in her shoulder and the gauze and needles and antiseptic in her hands. He groans. "You can't be serious."

"Think of it as practice," she says with a sheepish smile. Gabe's kind of her only option right now, because she can't reach her shoulder and Fitz is entirely too squeamish to deal with any kind of open wound.

(She misses Lincoln desperately in times like these.

Scratch that, she misses Lincoln regardless.)

Gabe grumbles a little, but complies. She guides him through the process and it hurts like hell, but he's not half bad.

"Don't you have some kind of super healing?" he asks.

"I heal faster than most," she clarifies, "but I think this one's too deep. Usually it would've clotted by now at least."

Gabe gives her a worried look and she smiles. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just needed you to patch me up."

"I'm not a kid," he mumbles.

Daisy pats his shoulder eventually. "Thank you," she tells him sincerely. He gives her a small smile. "I promise, I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me so much."

"Hazards of being close to a vigilante," he replies lightly. "I just don't want you to get hurt." It's silent for a moment, and everything's a little too serious, so he adds, "I think Robbie would get unbearable if you were gone."

That gets a small chuckle out of Daisy, even though the smile doesn't reach her eyes.

  
  


-

  
  


"Saw the news last night," Fitz comments as he and Daisy walk through the S.H.I.E.L.D. lobby. "Mack told me that Yo-Yo was with him when it happened. Lucky."

(Most of S.H.I.E.L.D. knows Yo-Yo is Slingshot. She's a dedicated agent and a proud super. While it's kept from the general public, her coworkers know.

While everyone has been gossiping about how the news got to the Watchdogs, Daisy suspects that her theories are right. The Watchdogs are within S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Daisy rolls her shoulder at the thought of last night. The pain is still searing and she's worried it might be infected or something. She's pretty sure she's sweating.

"You okay?" Fitz asks.

"The Watchdogs got me in the shoulder last night," she says. "Gabe patched it back up."

"They cut through the suit? Must've been sharp," Fitz interrogates casually as he delicately checks the wound over her clothes — it's too risky to check up close. When he pulls away, he has a smug expression on his face. "Still sleeping with Robbie, huh? Saw he gave you a ride here."

Daisy throws him an ugly look. "Still denying you're in love with Jemma?"

He blushes and looks down, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not denying anything, I'm just not _saying_ it."

She rolls her eyes. "Same difference."

They stop walking right before they're about to split up to their separate offices when Fitz levels her with a serious expression. "But really, you're okay? You seem...worried."

"I did something really stupid," she admits quietly. "I can't say what but might-get-fired and might-be-outed stupid, all at the same time."

His eyes widen at that and he frowns.

"But it's gonna be fine," Daisy quickly amends. "I just have to lay low for a bit. Anyways, I'll see ya."

She rushes away from Fitz before she dwells on it any longer. She heads into the computer rooms, ready for her day of work.

"Heya, Piper. Miss anything while I was away?"

"Oh, tons," Piper replies eagerly. "The Chief was here."

Daisy freezes. "W-what?"

"Yeah!" she continues enthusiastically. "Chief came by, wanting to look at some security footage. Crazy, right? He never comes near all this tech, hates the stuff."

Daisy blinks, taking a deep breath. Was it getting hot in here? Or cold? She can't tell. "What did he want?"

"Just some pretty blonde in his office, I guess."

She knows that Sousa didn't buy her C.I.A. act — Captain America told her as much — but she still finds her heart beating a touch too fast. She suddenly feels dizzy. She nearly collapses into her chair trying to find balance. "That's nice," she says weakly. "Sorry I missed it."

All she can really think is: _Thank fucking God she wasn't there._

  
  


-

  
  


Slingshot's alive, which is the good news.

Daniel's already had a lengthy meeting with Agents Rodriguez and Mackenzie, figuring out a new game-plan now that the Watchdogs seem to know her identity. That's the bad news. Everyone's wondering how they could've possibly gottenthe information. Daniel knows the truth — that his suspicions are correct.

Everyone else still doubts him.

("It's not that I don't believe it," Peggy told him, "but Agent Rodriguez is known in S.H.I.E.L.D. for being Slingshot. Any lower-level agent could've accidentally let it slip. It doesn't mean they're a Watchdog, just incompetent.")

Not that Peggy has had much time to do her own investigations, because Captain America got pretty beat up in the fight last night. This one involved multiple deep cuts, one just right over his chest.

It's not an uncommon occurrence; he usually just sleeps it off and wakes up as good as new.

Something's different this time.

The bleeding wouldn't stop afterwards.

And now...

Now, he's unresponsive. He's sitting in the hospital bed of the S.H.I.E.L.D. lab, being tested on. It's sending everyone into a frenzy — What could've possibly made Captain America like this? The answers keep everyone on edge.

It's poison, Dr. Jemma Simmons finds out eventually. A very rare, very particular kind of poison that somehow manages to target the super cells at a molecular level. To a regular person, it might make them very sick.

For a super, chances of death are likely.

Luckily, Agent Simmons is also a genius, so she works diligently at getting a cure while keeping him stable.

It only takes her six hours to create an antidote and another hour for Captain America to wake up.

The entire time, two women remain stuck in Daniel's head. He can't get them out.

  
  


-

  
  


Something's wrong. Daisy can feel it. Something's wrong with her.

Her shoulder is throbbing and the pain is spreading. She feels too hot and too cold at the same time — everything she touches sends shocks through her body. She's wrapped in her spare hoodie, sweating and shivering at the same time.

Her head feels like it's about to split open.

She doesn't get sick (superhero perk), so it's gotta be the stab wound.

Daisy vaguely wonders, though, if it's karma for calling into work sick. Her friends always joke about how faking being sick results in actually becoming sick. Maybe it's a universe thing. It's punishing her.

As the pain in her shoulder sharpens, she decides it's definitely the gaping hole in her shoulder. (Which, of course, doesn't rule out the possibility that the universe is punishing her. It's just that the stakes are a bit higher now.)

Maybe the dagger was poisoned.

_Fuck._

She can't go to a hospital, especially not now. Sousa saw her get a knife wound to the shoulder — he's bound to be on the lookout. She's stuck.

"He's here," Piper whispers violently next to her. Daisy sluggishly lifts her head up, trying to focus on her. Everything is a little blurry for some reason. An intense nausea settles deep in her gut. "Chief Sousa is here!"

Suddenly, like a bucket of ice water was just dumped on her, she jumps awake.

_Fuck._

_FUCK._

Daisy panics. "I can't see him!" she declares a little too loudly.

Piper looks her up and down. "Yeah. You look like shit," she agrees. She takes the hood and throws it over Daisy's head. "Now he won't see the nest on your head."

And then Daniel Sousa walks in.

Daisy does an excellent job of obscuring his view of her by scrunching up the hoodie and placing her hand against her forehead. She looks like she's suffering from a hangover, but she'll risk judgement over discovery.

(And, like, it's barely even a lie. It's not a hangover, that's for sure, but something is definitely making her feel awful.)

"You must be Agent Johnson," Sousa says right by her, and she peaks through her fingers a little. He's standing right by her chair, looking right at her with a curious expression.

"That's me," she says softly.

He looks at her with concern, his brow scrunching a little. "Are you alright, Agent?"

"'m fine," Daisy says, burying her face a little more. Luckily for her, Sousa doesn't press it too much, but she can hear Piper snickering in the background a little. Facing away from Sousa, she glares at her coworker.

"So, Agent Piper said you're the best when it comes to computers," the Chief says and she groans. Usually, she appreciates a good ego-boost, but in this case, she wishes Piper just kept her damn mouth shut. "Can I get you to use the Google to search for someone for me?"

Daisy blinks at his statement and can't help to look at him incredulously, her fear of being discovered instantly fading. "Did you just say, ' _the Google'_?" she asks him, her mouth ajar. She just cannot believe that this man just said something that only belongs in the mouth of an eighty-year-old.

He frowns and she feels the heat rise to her face. She turns back away quickly, going back to holding her head to keep her face mostly out of view. "Am I not supposed to say it like that?" he asks genuinely.

She starts typing, looking into the database. "First of all, it's just Google. No 'the' in there. Second of all, there's no way any good agent would just use Google. We have law enforcement search databases for that sort of thing."

He's silent, staring at her intently, and for a hot minute, she thinks maybe she went too far. She essentially just mocked the Chief of the entire Western United States.

So much for trying to stay lowkey.

Eventually, he just says, "I don't know much about computers, honestly. Usually, I don't do these kinds of investigations."

"Why this time?" she asks quietly. She has a gut feeling he's about to ask her to search for, well, _herself._ And yeah, she suspected that if he caught her in a lie, he would just send someone else to look around. He's never had the time to go detective-mode for anything else, and if he did, he lets other people handle anything computer-wise. That's what she's heard, anyway.

"It's complicated," he responds, leaving her with more questions than answers. "Just need your discretion on this."

He places a piece of paper next to her, and —

_Holy shit._

Daisy was way over her head the second she stepped foot into Daniel Sousa's office.

In her hands, she holds a detailed drawing of her. It's beautiful, filled with intrigue and beauty. She thinks he flattered her features. What she sees on the sheet of paper seems immensely more gorgeous than what she sees in the mirror.

Beside the drawing, there are plenty of little notes. The fake name, her features, the way she talked, the things she said...

"Can you find her?" Sousa asks, breaking her out of her thoughts. She doesn't dare look up at him, not with the drawing right there. She can't ever give him a side-by-side comparison.

"Yeah," she says, voice thick. She isn't worried about the search, necessarily. She knows that even if she searches for every single note he mentioned, nothing would pop up. She erased her former self off the world's servers years ago. There's nothing to find.

It's silent for a bit again. Daisy's praying to every higher being she doesn't believe in for him to just go, but he's still staring at her. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asks. Her heart drops.

She's about to say no, but she knows that wouldn't really make any sense. So, instead, she supplies, "I've been at S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while now, I guess."

Sousa places a hand on her shoulder — the one that's hurt — and it takes everything in her not to suck a breath through her teeth in pain. She bites her tongue hard, curling her toes so he cannot see a reaction. "Agent Piper said you were out yesterday," he informs her. "Maybe you came back too soon. Get some rest, Agent Johnson."

And with that, Daniel Sousa leaves.

The stunning drawing sits heavy in her hands.

  
  


-

  
  


Things are not good.

She got a text from Fitz shortly after Daniel Sousa left that made her blood run cold.

_The Watchdogs lined their daggers with poison. Captain America hit. Simmons is about done with an antidote._

Well, that confirms her earlier suspicion, but it's still frightening to hear. Captain America is an Avenger, and if he's not doing good...

Daisy is fucked.

_Some other supers might need it. Pls,_ she texts back. It's riskier than what she would usually text, but she's a tad bit desperate.

Fitz, of course, is quick to respond. _When it's safe._

_Reyes's._

Neither Gabe nor Robbie are home when Daisy gets back to the Reyes household. If she were more present, she'd notice that the lights and the TV are on when they shouldn't be, and that the stove is still hot. Robbie should be home — his shift was off two hours ago and it was obvious that he just left the house — but her mind is so messed up that nothing clicks.

She feels drunk, stumbling around and mumbling incoherently. She can barely tell up from down, left from right. She's afraid that she might not make it a few more hours. She thinks falling asleep sounds really nice just about now.

_Don't do it,_ the small part of Daisy that's clinging onto existence whispers in her head. _If you fall asleep now, you will never wake up._

And then the Ghost Rider pops up on the news and it's like she gains control of her body once more.

Daisy knows that she shouldn't go, that Fitz won't be able to give her the antidote if he can't find her. But the Ghost Rider is free, killing people. It's her duty as Quake to stop him. She puts on the mask.

She pumps her body with every kind of regenerative pill she can find. She needs the adrenaline rush, just until Fitz can get her the antidote.

Then, Quake leaves the house in search of the Ghost Rider.

  
  


-

  
  


The drugs in her system give her life and energy. Everything's still a little fuzzy and her quakes don't land with as much finesse, but she has good enough reflexes and isn't dragging herself around.

The Ghost Rider isn't pulling any punches, though.

Quake's never gotten this close to him, so of course she finally gets the faceoff she's been begging the universe for when she's poisoned and self-drugged, clinging onto life, teetering on the edge. Her shoulder burns with every movement, but the adrenaline numbs it.

The fight's going well, considering.

Until it isn't.

Ghost Rider gets the upper hand. Quake's thrown to the ground. She's pretty sure the meds are wearing off, because her bones feel impossibly heavy. As she lifts her hand to quake her opponent to oblivion, it falls limp, her eyes drooping as she struggles with consciousness.

A tear slips from her eye.

_This is it,_ she thinks. _This is how I die._

Either it'll be the Ghost Rider standing right above her, kneeling down, trapping her, or it'll be the poison that's consumed her body, dragging her into the abyss. It's a cruel kind of poetry that she'll feel like she's on fire either way.

She probably deserves it. After Lincoln, she probably deserves it.

_Lincoln._

It's Daisy, not Quake, that wonders if she'll see him again after she dies. If so, she'll see him soon. So soon...

The Ghost Rider grabs her and her body lights aflame. Quake screams out in pain — she's never felt anything like this. Then again, she's never been burned alive before.

She quickly realizes that's not exactly what's happening. Despite the fact that Ghost Rider has his fiery hands against her, it's not consuming her in flames. Not in the way it should, anyway. Instead, it reaches inside of her, setting fire to her blood. She burns from the inside out, but it isn't meant to kill her.

Quake is _alive._

Then, Ghost Rider stands and walks away, setting her soul free. She's still alive, still breathing. She still feels the poison in her veins, but she feels...renewed.

She knows it should unnerve her, that the Ghost Rider let her live. He's never let anyone live before. And there was something about the way that he looked at her, into her soul. There was something so familiar about it all.

Yes, it should worry her, in the way nothing else ever has, but she can't find it in herself to be bothered while she stumbles away from the scene. She's got a one-track mind and she's thankful that it's nearby.

Fitzsimmons's apartment.

  
  


-

  
  


"I'm sorry," Quake whispers as she closes the door and slides down, "I had nowhere else to turn."

"Quake?" Jemma gasps out, rushing towards her. Fitz gapes from the table, unsure of how to react. She's not supposed to be here.

"Fitz," Quake whispers desperately. "Fitz. The antidote."

Jemma turns to him, her brow scrunched in question. She's piecing things together. But she nods and Fitz immediately runs to their little home-lab, where she has an extra vial of the antidote.

She's trying to focus on Quake. There's a tear in her suit at the shoulder, and there's fresh blood staining the dark armor, but there's no open wound. She begins to search around, looking for the source of her pain, but something catches her eye.

Fitz runs back in, vial of the antidote in hand, as Jemma pulls the object from Quake's clenched hand. "Fitz," she whispers, "why does Quake have the key to our flat?"

"Jemma," Quake says quietly, clutching onto her desperately. "I'm so sorry."

With shaking hands, she removes her mask, her disguise fading away, and the glowing eyes of Quake fades into the soft brown eyes of Daisy Johnson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel finally met Daisy (sort of), Ghost Rider did something to Quake that wasn't killing her, and Jemma now knows that Quake is Daisy.
> 
> Next time: The moment you've all been waiting for! Well, at least one of them.
> 
> P.S. I absolutely love reading people's theories on things.


	4. i need you to see.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did you have contact with Quake last night?" Daniel asked her. He's asked her about Quake enough times in the past for her to know that this isn't a particularly out-there question.
> 
> "Yes," she told him straight-up, looking more confident than she had all morning. "She asked for the antidote and I gave it to her."
> 
> So, whatever she's hiding, it isn't Quake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ironically, I feel like the canon story might make this AU a little confusing. So for some clarification... In this universe, Team Bus never happened, TAHITI never happened, but Coulson finding Skye and bringing her in did. Similar to canon, he forms a connection with her and basically adopts her. When she becomes an official agent, she starts working at the base where she meets everyone else. Also, her family history is quite a bit different.
> 
> Point is, take the canon story with a grain of salt in this fic.

She dreams of Lincoln.

It's different. Daisy's dreams of Lincoln are usually there to haunt her. They always develop into something sick and twisted — her hands covered in his blood, his ghost whispering in her head about how it is all her fault.

This time, her dream is soothing, lacking guilt. That in itself unnerves her enough.

_ His face gleams in the sunlight. His smile is brilliant and contagious. His hand caresses her own gently, curling his fingertips into her palm. She feels the electricity coursing through her veins, she feels every part of her coming alive. _

_ Her fingertips graze the stubble on his face and she leans into him, into his warmth, and her eyes flutter closed. _

_ And that's it. There's no blood or violence or death. Just the two of them, lying in the comfort of each other's arms, feeling more happy and in love than ever. _

_ Daisy feels entirely at peace. _

She wakes up next to Robbie.

It's a very rare occurrence, waking up in his embrace. She almost never sleeps over for the full night, trying to keep the boundaries of their relationship clear. It's not that she is necessarily opposed to sleeping next to him — she believes that cuddling and no-strings-attached can co-exist — but it makes things easier, having him expecting her to be gone when he wakes up. That way, she doesn't have to come up with any crazy excuses when she leaves to be a vigilante in the middle of the night.

But the past few days have been different. Her poor van is still stuck in the shop and, while Robbie offered her a place to stay, chances of her crashing at Fitzsimmons's place by night number two were high, except...

"Good morning," he says, nuzzling her neck. Robbie certainly seems to be enjoying her presence, that's for sure.

Daisy recalls the events that led her here. She remembers the poison, the Ghost Rider sparing her, and — 

Jemma knows her secret now.

She knows that Daisy Johnson is Quake's civilian identity.

She hadn't taken it well.

(Her first instinct was to look at Fitz, tears in her eyes. "You knew," she said, her voice wavering.

Fitz had only looked down in shame. Jemma looked at Daisy. "I don't understand," she whispers. "S.H.I.E.L.D. tests all the agents for the super genes."

Daisy was barely conscious at that point, but she registered as Fitz spoke up. "It was me," he said quietly as the approached the pair to administer the antidote. "I switched the DNA results when she was screened."

After she got the antidote, Daisy healed up fairly quickly. The hour had been spent with glares and jibes, with the occasional question.

"Oh my god," Jemma whispered at some point, "Lincoln. Lincoln was Electric, wasn't he?"

Electric. The same Electric who died a very public, heroic death saving Los Angeles from an explosion that would've leveled the city. The same Electric who was known for being the only super that Quake regularly teamed up with.

The same Electric that died around the same time that Lincoln Campbell "disappeared".

Jemma never knew that he died. To everyone who didn't know his super identity, he had simply upped and left. They couldn't risk the Watchdogs putting the two deaths together — they were scouring civilian death certificates for him. He still had a family to think of. It kills Daisy inside every time she sees his younger sister posting about his disappearance, still clinging onto hope. She will never find him.

Jemma had thought that Daisy's depression was just because of a bad breakup. She was sad too — Lincoln was her friend. She had wished that he at least said goodbye.

"Oh my god," Jemma repeats, a little more frantic. "Lincoln is  _ dead. _ Lincoln is dead and you never even  _ told  _ me."

So, yeah. As soon as Daisy was healed up, Jemma ordered her out. She ended up back with Robbie in a teary mess. She had nowhere else to go.)

The whole Robbie situation gets even messier when Daisy realizes she's actually dressed in her pajamas. She slept in his bed, his arms hugging around her tightly, without actually doing anything interesting. Like an actual  _ couple. _

"D'you want breakfast?" Robbie asks as he presses a kiss to her cheek.

Daisy panics. "No!" she says a little too quickly. Robbie pauses, lifting himself up a little to look at her profile. She spins around and tries to smile. "I mean, I can think of better things to do," she says mischievously as she presses her lips to his.

She feels him smile against her skin, his arms immediately surrounding her. He pulls himself a breath away to whisper, "I can't say I disagree."

His hand grazes against her shoulder and she freezes as she remembers the knife wound. Her hand flies under his to stop him and realizes — 

The wound isn't there anymore. There's not even a bump or a scar or any sort of indication that it ever even existed.

Daisy sits up suddenly and cranes her neck to try to look at the spot. Robbie pulls back. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Sorry," she says, her brow scrunched together. "I just thought..." She trails off, unsure of what even to say. She's perplexed. Even if Jemma touched it up, there's no way she could make it disappear entirely. And her powers might make healing quick, but they don't have the capability to do  _ that. _

Robbie looks at her with a bit of a worried expression, so she shakes herself out of it. She gives him a smile. "Nevermind, just had a strange feeling. Anyway, going into S.H.I.E.L.D. today?"

"Nah, I've got a shift at Canelo's. I get to work on your shitty van," he teases, but his eyes are still alight with concern. "But I can give you a ride to the base anyway."

Daisy kisses him again, a little more softly than usual. "Sure. Now, where were we?" she says against his lips, pushing him back down onto the bed, straddling him.

For the first time, she doesn't think of Lincoln — doesn't feel as if she's some kind of betrayer, being with another man as she still mourns him — as Robbie explores her skin and leaves her breathless.

  
  


-

  
  


When she gets into work, Fitz is waiting for her, alone. He hands her a cup of coffee, which she takes gratefully.

"Jemma's still not talking to me," Fitz mumbles sadly into his tea. "She didn't even leave a lunch bag. She always leaves a lunch bag for me. Do you know the last time she didn't leave a lunch bag?"

"I get it, I get it!" Daisy silences him. "You miss your stupid sandwiches. But, isn't it better that she knows? Like, I'm alive?"

"You should've gone to someone else," he moans.

"Like who?!"

"Deke?" he supplies helpfully with an awkward shrug, trying to convince himself that Deke would be a good option.

Daisy gasps. "Deke?!"

(Deke is another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the Science Division. Actually, he's more like a consultant, but he insists he's an agent to anyone who will listen.

His knowledge is vast — no one can deny that — but just about the only person who can actually stand his existence is Jemma. She seems to think he's some gift from above, but that's natural. He's blood — some distant cousin or something.

Deke's also known for his utter obsession with Quake. She's been to his place once and his walls were lined with Quake posters. He'll gush about her newest victories to anyone and everyone, whether or not they want to listen. A part of her finds it a little nice, since he started out as her biggest hater. She sees him almost as a physical representation of how she went from public terrorist to mysterious vigilante.

The thing is, Mack and Piper insist that he has a major crush on  _ her, _ like, as in  _ Daisy. _ And she cannot stand him as a person. She doesn't believe it's true, but every time he visits her unprompted in the computer rooms, she has a sneaking suspicion that maybe they're right.

It unnerves her a little, for Quake's #1 fan to be so drawn to her civilian self. The subconscious can be a funny thing.)

"Okay, so maybe not Deke," Fitz amends, his shoulders drooping. "I just hope she forgives me."

"I don't think you have to worry too much about that," Daisy says comfortingly, with a small frown.  _ It's me she won't forgive, _ sits on the tip of her tongue, unsaid.

  
  


-

  
  


The Head of the Science Division has been acting shifty all morning, Daniel notes.

Jemma Simmons is the worst liar he has ever seen. He gathered ages ago that she has semi-regular contact with Quake, but after some heavy digging and investigating, it was determined that she knew less about her identity than he did. As long as her lie-detector tests confirm that she hasn't given away any S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets, he lets her Quake interactions continue on, under his careful monitoring. He learns a lot from them, so it's worth it.

This time, he suspects, something else is going on.

Two nights ago, someone attempted to assassinate Slingshot. Dr. Simmons had been nervous then, but he chalked it up to the fact that she and Agent Rodriguez seem to be friends. She then was given the top-level access that allowed her to see Captain America's civilian self in order to provide him with an antidote.

(The thing about Captain America is that his civilian self barely exists. He has no job, no loved ones outside of S.H.I.E.L.D, and nothing could really be used against him if his identity became revealed. Yet, Steve Rogers is still a well-guarded secret for many reasons, including his past, but most importantly, as a symbol.)

Dr. Simmons is considerably more jumpy than she was the day before. She refuses to look him in the eye when she talks about the Watchdog poison or the antidotes.

Daniel even tried a direct approach. He knows for a fact that he saw Quake get stabbed by the Watchdogs that same night, and even though it was only one wound compared to the multiple that Cap got, he still wondered if she had gotten the care she needed. He suspected that might be why Agent Simmons was so cagey.

("Did you have contact with Quake last night?" Daniel asked her. He's asked her about Quake enough times in the past for her to know that this isn't a particularly out-there question.

"Yes," she told him straight-up, looking more confident than she had all morning. "She asked for the antidote and I gave it to her."

So, whatever she's hiding, it isn't Quake.

He tries to bury the relief he feels upon hearing that she isn't dying from some unknown poison. He tries to convince himself that he doesn't care about her wellbeing. When that fails, he tries to reason that he doesn't want to see  _ anyone  _ affected by such a poison.)

"Should we get her in the chair?" an agent asks him. It seems that the young doctor's behavior has been noticed by others.

"Nah, that will just tell her that we're onto her," Daniel replies back. "We don't need a lie detector to know that she's hiding something. Just follow her — see what it is."

Two agents start to follow Jemma Simmons.

And that's when things get interesting.

"Sir?" some other agent runs up to him. "There's a guy we just apprehended. Tried to hack our systems. He said he only wants to speak to an 'Agent Skye'."

Now, Daniel doesn't really have an opinion in higher beings, but he finds himself being a step closer to being a true believer when things like this happen.

  
  


-

  
  


"I said I'd only talk to Skye," the hacker says. Daniel takes a close look at his file. Miles Lydon. Long-time hacker of S.H.I.E.L.D. Suspected of helping the Watchdogs launder money and hack government organizations.

He's not sure if he should revisit the theory that Skye is a Watchdog infiltrator, or if she used this Miles to get information on him.

"There's no Skye here," Daniel says firmly, sitting down. "But you, Mr. Lydon, are in a lot of trouble."

"Bullshit," Miles replies, giving a smug smirk. "I know she's here."

"I'll level with you, Miles," Daniel says, leaning forward. "Two days ago, your buddy  _ Skye _ broke into my office pretending to be C.I.A. and I've been looking for her since. No one knows who or where she is."

Miles gives him a strange look, one of confusion and skepticism. "Stop messing around, Skye's been on your radar for years. Last I heard, she became a full-fledged agent after that Coulson guy picked her up. So, let me see her."

Daniel blinks. "Agent Coulson?"

He knows Agent Coulson. Well, almost everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. knows him. He's Iron Man's handler and one of the most loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out there. He's known for finding and recruiting some of the strangest but best agents around. Daniel doesn't see much of him, since Stark is such a hogger, but they've really gotten along every time they've met.

How is Phil Coulson connected to this Skye?

Miles barks out an incredulous laugh. "Do you seriously have no clue who Skye is? She's supposed to be one of yours."

"Look, Mr. Lydon," Daniel starts, "we can work something out if you work with us. It seems we have similar goals right now. Tell me what you know about Skye and we can talk about letting you go."

Miles looks down at the table. He grimaces, but then he responds with, "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"What's her real name?" Daniel asks. He has a million questions going through his head, but that one sits at the forefront of his mind. If he knows that, he can find out just about all the other questions without spending another moment with Miles Lydon.

But instead of giving him the answer he so desperately wants, Miles answers, "I don't know. She never told me."

"Well, how long did you know her?"

"Five years," he supplies.

"So," Daniel starts, a little unsure, "You knew her for five years and you never knew her real name?"

Miles shrugs as his head shakes lightly. "It was as real as it got. I knew it wasn't her birth name, but she didn't like to think about her past. 'Skye' was the name that mattered to her, so I never pushed."

"When was the last time you had contact with her?"

"About four years ago, right around when all her records were wiped from existence. We had barely talked for a couple of years before that, because she started working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and we broke things off. She just told me to stop looking for her," Miles fills in.

Daniel considers this. That means this girl has been a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. for at least six years. Why was she breaking into his office? She must be stationed on the East Coast for him not to recognize her — why was she here?

"How was she connected to Agent Coulson?" Daniel interrogates.

Miles hesitates. "She was a hacker. The best, actually. Together, we were working on bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. down."

_ Ah, _ Daniel thinks.  _ She's playing the long game. _

He begins to think about who in S.H.I.E.L.D. he might not have ever interacted with. He doesn't usually go near the mechanics, or the lower level storage, or the computer rooms...

But then, Miles continues, "She was found out, S.H.I.E.L.D. took her in and I ran for it. It was our protocol," he hastily defends. "But then S.H.I.E.L.D. took me in a couple of months later and she was...different. She actually  _ believed _ in your bullshit."

_ Huh. _

The mystery continues.

Daniel gives him a dull smile. "Got a picture of this girl?"

Miles gives a nod toward his belongings, which are in a basket at the end of the table. "I have one in my wallet."

"You keep a picture of her in your wallet?" Daniel asks, with a touch of disgust. "How long ago did this girl break up with you?"

Miles gives him a simple shrug, uncaring of the judgment. "She's something else," he says, eyes filled with adoration. Daniel sighs and grabs the wallet from the possessions basket. He opens it and sure enough, there's a picture of a girl right there. He vaguely thinks that he understands why anyone would hang onto the photo.

She's younger, her face fuller, and her hair brown, but still recognizably the Skye he met. Yet, there's someone else in there that he's reminded of. He can't quite place it.

"Thank you, Mr. Lydon," Daniel says as he gets up. "Your intel has been invaluable."

"Wait!" Miles yells out. "What about our deal?!"

But Daniel's already out the door.

  
  


-

  
  


Agent Coulson's number went straight to voicemail. Daniel keeps the message short, asking him for a call back regarding Skye.

Daniel calls the agent tailing Jemma Simmons right after that. "Expand the search," he says simply. "The Asian girl likely wore a wig. I think she's actually brunette and probably still within S.H.I.E.L.D. right now."

"Chief, Agent Simmons is talking to a woman who fits that description right now. They seem to be in some kind of argument," the agent fills in.

He knows that it's just about the broadest description out there, but he still feels a tiny bit of hope rise in his chest. This could explain Dr. Simmons's strange behavior — perhaps this  _ Skye  _ is using her for intel. Blackmail, perhaps? It explains the arguing. He's always pegged Dr. Simmons as a loyal agent. "One of you needs to follow her," he says. "Keep me updated on her whereabouts."

About twenty minutes later, he gets a call from the agent to let him know that he's tracked the young Asian woman to a coffee shop next door to the base, and as he's on his way, Agent Coulson calls him back.

"What's she done?" Coulson asks a little desperately as soon as Daniel picks up. "Is she okay?"

"I just need to know, who is she?" Daniel presses, just trying to get to the bottom of things.

It's silent for a long moment. He's reached the coffee shop and he sees his agent subtly tilt his head to a girl waiting for a coffee at the counter.

Coulson finally speaks again. "She's my daughter," he tells Daniel quietly.

Daniel freezes, his jaw dropping. Out of all things he expected to potentially hear, that was not one of them. He barely gets to process this revelation when the girl seems to spot him. She turns her face away from him and high-tails it out of the coffee shop without a coffee in her hand.

"I've gotta go," Daniel says hastily as he follows the girl, his cane barely skimming the ground as he rushes to catch up. "Hold it!" he calls out as soon as they leave the shop.

He cocks his gun and points it at her back and she's quick to stop and throw her hands up in the air. "Wait — " she tries to protest.

He interrupts, "Turn around."

She does, slowly. He steps closer.

Daniel's hope fades when he recognizes her as that random I.T. girl he met the day before. Agent Daisy Johnson, he thinks her name is. It's not who he's looking for. He puts his gun back in his holster, disappoint weighing heavy.

"Sorry, Agent — "

Daniel didn't get a chance to really look her in the face yesterday, and what he did see was pale and feverish. She's looking significantly healthier today and he gets a moment to really study her features and he realizes with a start —

It's  _ her. _

It's  _ Skye. _

His hand comes up to Daisy's face and his thumb grazes the light scar on her upper cheekbone before she backs away quickly, shooting him an offended look. Daniel smiles smugly as he realizes he's found her, truly found Skye.

"C.I.A, huh?" Her eyes widen as she realizes he's got her all figured out. He grabs his gun from his holster again and lets his hand fall to his side. "It's nice to finally meet you, Skye."

Her eyes close as she exhales. "I suppose you'll be arresting me now," she says plainly, accepting fate.

Daniel smiles. "You got it all figured out, don't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DANIEL KNOWS! Well, he knows about Skye and Daisy. But it's progress.
> 
> Next time: We've got an interrogation on our hands, folks.


	5. i know that i let him down.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not saying anything else without my lawyer present," Daisy announces.
> 
> Sousa gives her a smug expression. "You don't want a lawyer here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And into the interrogation we go...

She can't believe Miles fucking Lydon was her downfall.

Daisy doesn't have much contact with anyone who knows her as Skye — especially not anyone who knows that she became a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. To most,  _ Skye _ was an overly common name that happened to be used by a world-famous genius hacker as an alias of sorts. The only people that would put Skye and S.H.I.E.L.D. in a sentence together — in a positive combination — would be Phil Coulson and Melinda May, who (in the improbable situation that they would even get involved in this situation in L.A. when they are thousands of miles away on their own missions) would be unlikely to sell her out but roast her to oblivion later with their epic disappointed parental stares. Oh, yeah, and Miles fucking Lydon.

Of course Miles sold her out. Because he's a dick who only cares about himself. S.H.I.E.L.D. offered him an out on a silver platter, and he took it.

Daisy hasn't spoken to her ex in years. Like, literally  _ years. _ How was she supposed to guess in a million years that her already-faulty-plan would be completely undone by her ex storming the palace and demanding to talk to an agent who didn't exist? Who could've ever predicted this?

She's utterly appalled by the universe's sick idea of humor.

"Your boyfriend sold you out," Chief Sousa tells her smugly as he throws down the photos in front of her. It's mostly different shots of the security footage, but there's also an old, worn photo from years ago.

Did Miles keep that picture of her? Was it in his wallet? Seriously?

"He's not my boyfriend," Daisy replies bitterly, a scowl lining her face. "That hacker you keep mentioning? Definitely not my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend or not," he responds pointedly, "he gave me a lot of interesting information about you. You were a hacker and a S.H.I.E.L.D. fugitive, until you were picked up by one of our own, and then you turned into a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Your employee records say you were a great one too," Sousa reads, picking through her files. "So, why did you risk everything to investigate some serial killing super? To get to the Watchdogs? Why blackmail a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? Why break into my office?"

(Daisy was brought back to S.H.I.E.L.D. in handcuffs, which was pretty mortifying. Chief Sousa kept things pretty discrete, thankfully, but anyone that paid close enough attention could see how her arms were kept behind her back, and her body was fairly flush to the Chief's chest as he walked her forward.

And Jemma, dear Jemma, is a fiercely loyal friend, even when she's heartbreakingly angry at them. And painstakingly observant when Daisy wishes she wouldn't be.

"Daisy!" she had called out, immediately noticing that she was being brought in as a hostile. She desperately looks up at Sousa, placing her tiny self in front of them in an effort to stop him. "Chief Sousa, you can't have Daisy arrested! She's done nothing wrong! Well, she's hid a few things from S.H.I.E.L.D, but it's all just to take down the Watchdogs — "

"Jemma!" Daisy managed to interrupt her babbling. Jemma obviously mistook the situation for thinking she's been discovered as Quake, and having that outed is the last thing she wants added to her pile of messes. "It's okay. Chief figured out I wasn't  _ actually  _ C.I.A."

"Oh," Jemma replied, her eyes getting amazingly wide. "Right. The Central Intelligence Agency. That you were a part of —  _ not _ a part of?" Her forehead wrinkles in confusion as she tries to think about what's going on.

Dear God, Daisy really needs to give Jemma a crash course on lying.

Sousa had simply rolled his eyes at the exchange, promising (or threatening) that he'd speak to Jemma later, and dragging Daisy away. But, the words that had been spoken seemed to have convinced him that her strange behavior all day was because her best friend and occasional roommate was a spy. Not because she had found out that said best friend and occasional roommate was the true identity of Quake.

You win some, you lose some.)

She's silent for too long, so Sousa speaks up again, "You can't seriously have believed I wouldn't find you. I would've figured you out eventually. You couldn't have pretended to be sick forever."

Daisy laughs dryly. She debates denying it, but it's already out there, and it's not like she can talk her way out of this. And it's not like she can tell him that she was actually sick (or, well, poisoned) when they met. "Honestly, I've been kicking myself since that stupid idea popped in my mind. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision, you know?"

"Spur of the moment? You happened to have a blonde wig and a fake C.I.A. I.D. on hand?" he asks incredulously, his brow scrunching together. The idea is just as ridiculous to him as it was to her.

Yes, in fact. But she can't really explain how she has a few wigs in her van from back when she was testing the best option for her Quake disguise. Fitz had immediately vetoed the blonde.

"I'm not saying anything else without my lawyer present," Daisy announces.

Sousa gives her a smug expression. "You don't want a lawyer here."

Slowly, she says, "I know my rights and I do."

"No, you don't. Because if we bring in your lawyer, I'm gonna have to fill in some paperwork. I don't think either of us wants that, do we?"

This makes Daisy blink.

_ Is he saying..? _

"...You don't want to report me?"

"I want you to work for me," Sousa says, his hands folding on the table in front of him.

_ Well, then. _

"I already work for you," she replies simply.

He leans forward. "You work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm looking for a team that will look into it," he tells her, "I need people who will investigate everyone in the organization and find the Watchdogs."

"O...okay," she drawls out, a little confused. "So, you want me to hack into my own organization? Like, for real?"

Sousa gives her a raised eyebrow. "You seem to already have experience with that kind of thing."

"Yeah, okay, maybe I do. Maybe," she says quickly. "But you're like...the top dog here. Can't you just...order whoever to investigate this stuff? Put a line in with the Director?"

"The Director is aware of my investigations, the rest think I'm insane," he tells her vaguely, "but I can't let on to anyone else that I'm investigating this, or they'll bury it."

It's sound logic, really. Daisy can't deny that. But she's afraid it might already be too late for that. She's not sure subtlety is the way to go when they've likely already tipped off the biggest Watchdog person there is — one who controls the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Watchdogs are likely burying their connections as they speak.

She debates the task force. She's not really sure if she has a choice — it's this or arrest. She has limited intel, and no solid proof, and almost all of it was obtained by the hands of Quake. Revealing any of the information she has means not explaining how she came about it, unless she wants to out herself.

"Coulson brought you in, didn't he?" Sousa interrogates, his voice dropping. He knows that he's hitting a sensitive spot when she looks down. "How do you think he'd feel about this mess you've gotten yourself into?"

Coulson would defend her to the ends of the earth no matter what. She's not worried about that. What eats at her, on the other hand, is the utter shame of being in this situation at all. She owes everything to Coulson. He believed in her before anyone else did. Years ago, he found her alone in an alley in a van, trying to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.

In his eyes, she's been arrested for breaking into S.H.I.E.L.D. again.

He had absolved her from her criminal history, he stood up for her time and time again, and this is how she repays him. She betrayed his trust.

So, yes, the shame weighs heavy in her gut.

She makes a decision.

"You didn't happen to mention this whole Watchdog theory to Alexander Pierce, did you?" she asks quietly, already suspecting the answer.

"Of course I did," Sousa replies nonchalantly. "Nothing happens in S.H.I.E.L.D. without him knowing." Daisy cringes, and he immediately notices it. "Why?"

"I think," she starts slowly, "that Pierce is part of the Watchdogs."

  
  


-

  
  


So that's how she finds herself following the Chief to another room, where the tiny task force investigating the Watchdogs are doing their extensive research.

Sousa moves out of the way, unblocking the doorway as he opens it and putting her face to face with Captain America. "Captain, Agent Mackenzie, meet Daisy Johnson. She's the girl who was snooping around my office."

_ Fuck. _

Daisy realizes, very quickly, that within the last week, the list of living people who knew her secret just doubled. There's no way Captain America doesn't know now.

Captain America knows the girl that broke into the Chief's office as Quake. Now, he knows her as Daisy Johnson.

By the shock lit up in his eyes, he put the pieces together. Daisy Johnson, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, is Quake.

_ Great. Just great. _

Her eyes are pleading as he looks at her steadily. He holds the power of her identity in his hands. With a single word, he could reveal who she really is to Daniel Sousa, and her life would be over.

Instead, Captain America does something truly unexpected.

He takes his mask off.

"You said she already knows that I'm Steve Rogers," he explains to Sousa, who is giving him an incredulous look. Mack looks just as shocked. He gives Daisy a pointed stare. "I trust the big guy; he's Slingshot's handler. I'd prefer to not have this stuffy suit on if I don't need to."

Daisy's in a little bit of shock. They both know that it isn't true; she had no clue who Captain America was, and the only reason Chief Sousa thinks that she does is because of a very odd mixup. Captain America — no,  _ Steve _ — has no reason to do this.

Except…

Steve Rogers is bearing himself in front of her. An eye for an eye. He knows her secret, and now she knows his. He's giving her his trust.

She's never been so grateful to anyone in her entire life.

Daisy looks to Mack, who looks at her with raised eyebrows, amused at the whole situation. "Breaking into the Chief's office, huh?"

(She's known Mack for years. He's a part of her limited friend group at S.H.I.E.L.D. He's Yo-Yo's handler and a great agent. He used to be a mechanic back when she met him, so he made quick friends with Robbie — at least, as close as Robbie tends to let people not named Daisy in.

Mack looks after her. He's like a big brother. She trusts him, always has.)

"Yo-Yo?" she asks curiously.

Mack shakes his head. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has her in hiding. It's safer if her public handler doesn't know where she is."

Daisy nods, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Enough catch-up," Sousa says suddenly. "Pierce might be a Watchdog."

The room freezes, and silence takes over.

Then, Captain America —  _ Steve, _ she remembers — speaks, "Pierce runs  _ everything. _ Even over Peggy, if the government agrees enough with him."

"That's why we need to disband the team, officially," Sousa replies. "We need to seem like we failed to find anything; that keeping up with the search is pointless. You and Peggy need to return to D.C, keep an eye on Pierce — "

"No," Steve replies back firmly. "I mean, yes, but no. If both Peggy and I return to D.C. so suddenly, it'll be suspicious. Peggy goes back alone — she's always thought this was silly — but I need to stay for a few more weeks. There needs to be a reason I'd go back."

After a moment, Sousa nods at him in agreement. That's when Mack speaks up, "Wait, wait. How do we even know that Pierce is a Watchdog? Do we have any proof?"

Everyone turns to Daisy and she shrinks back. Sousa glares at her, already knowing her answer.

Truth is, she doesn't really have much proof. It's all circumstantial evidence.

("A trout in the milk," Sousa had called it. It was in that moment she decided he was some kind of grandpa. He'd probably be offended by all her internal swearing.)

She has full photo albums of Pierce interacting with people she knows in her gut are Watchdogs, and files of bank statements where he hides his offshore accounts that pay out large sums to untraceable accounts that are similar to the other Watchdog accounts she's found.

The thing is, she broke into the bank and interrogated tellers as Quake, and she went on her D.C. field trips as... You guessed it...  _ Quake. _

(She actually met Captain America for the first time in D.C. She told him about her Watchdog theory and was surprised to find he wholeheartedly agreed with her.

She thought she had finally found an ally.)

Steve seems to get an idea of where she got the information. "Look, what matters now is that we keep things quiet, Peggy goes back to D.C, and we dig. If we can find proof, we can end this."

No one seems to disagree, to her relief.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy finds Sousa later, sitting somberly as the other two file out. She takes a seat next to him, sitting slowly. He doesn't even look up at her.

"I suspected they burrowed into S.H.I.E.L.D, but I thought it was the fringes," he says quietly. She bows her head down, understanding the feeling. "If someone like Pierce is a Watchdog..."

"They're dug in deep," Daisy fills in.

"I'm not sure what's more frustrating," Sousa starts, finally looking up at her, his voice rising into anger. "That you won't tell me how you know what you know or you're telling me I can't act on it."

"Pierce is just a piece of it," she says. "If you expose him right now, they'll just go deeper underground."

"Then I'll follow them there," he replies with determination. She recoils a little. He continues a little more softly, "Hydra took a lot of good people from me. This is a fight I'll wage alone if I have to. I'd give my life for it."

Daisy looks down. She takes a moment to let his words sink in. "Hey, you said it first. We gotta keep things covert."

It's silent for a minute.

"If it means anything," she says quietly, "you wouldn't be alone."

She leaves after that.

It's dark. She remembers she doesn't have her van anymore, so she walks. It's stupid, because any destination she would aim for is miles and miles away. FitzSimmons are closer, but she's sure she's still unwanted, even if Jemma did try to bail her out.

So, she calls Robbie when she reaches some dingy, flickering spotlight on a deserted street. He's on his way the second he picks up, of course.

As she waits, she finds that she has 17 missed calls from Coulson and a single text from May from over the day.

_ Answer his calls so he can stop bothering me,  _ is all the text says. She ignores the number of voicemails and just dials Coulson straight up.

"How's Stark?" Daisy asks casually.

"His usual self, of course," Coulson supplies, deadpan. "But enough of that, why is your boss asking me about 'Skye'?"

Daisy bites her lip. She debates telling him not to worry about it, but he's going to worry about it anyway, and Sousa will probably end up calling him. Coulson would be less mad if the news came from her. "I may have, uh," she starts slowly, "broken into his office to get some information and got arrested."

It's silent for a moment.

"It was a lapse in judgment?" Daisy adds, her voice rising in pitch slightly

Silence.

"I promise I won't do it again?" she continues, cringing.

Coulson sighs. "May would be so disappointed that you got caught," is all he says before he asks her what she thought of Captain America's latest super card and she welcomes the distraction.

(Though, a part of her still feels guilty, even with the distraction, because she wishes desperately how she could tell him that she knows Captain America personally, and she teams up with him sometimes now. Even though she doesn't really team up with anyone.

But, Coulson doesn't know that she's Quake, so there's that.

More secrets.)

Daisy hangs up when Robbie arrives. He leans forward and opens up the sleek Charger's passenger door, letting Daisy inside.

It reminds her of the first time they met.

("He doesn't give anybody a ride," Gabe had told her after.)

He doesn't ask her anything the whole ride. He speeds through L.A. and makes his way east. She's grateful, because she really, really doesn't want to talk about her workday.

It's not like things are bad. Honestly, things worked out in the best way possible. Her Quake secret is still very much secret. And she didn't end up in a prison cell, despite Sousa catching her. She's even been brought into the inner circle. She's changing things for the better. Maybe, this way, they'll actually be able to defeat the Watchdogs in S.H.I.E.L.D.

Cut off their S.H.I.E.L.D. connections, they won't have the means to continue at all.

Daisy should be celebrating, but instead, she feels a deep void within her. She can't find it in herself to be happy. Not when they're still out there at all. Not when the Watchdogs have been killing off the people that she loved all this time.

When they get to the house, Robbie leads her out of the car and into the house. "I have some bad news," he says, frowning. "Your van's busted. I don't think I can fix it."

She means to laugh bitterly, because it's such an inconsequential thing compared to the rest of her life, but instead, she loudly bursts into tears. Robbie blinks, unsure of what to do, and quietly mutters, "I didn't realize you loved the van  _ that  _ much, chica."

Still, he takes her to his room and gathers her up in his arms as she sobs about anything and everything that's been plaguing her life ever since she was born. She's held it in for so long, but she can't hold it in anymore. She's the rubber band that snapped under too much pressure.

"Dios mío," Robbie whispers into her hair. "Alright, alright, I'll try harder on the van!"

Daisy clings onto him a little desperately as they lie in bed. Her head in buried in the crook of his neck. "Thank you," she whispers. It's not about the van, of course. But she appreciates his presence more than anything.

"I'm sorry," she whispers in a soft cry, her face pressing into his skin more.  _ For lying. For being a shitty friend. For getting his brother involved in all her fucked-up vigilante work. For everything. _

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he tells her, petting her hair tenderly.

"I do," she says, pulling her head up. "I have so much — "

He presses his finger to her lips suddenly. "It's okay," he says quietly. "Whatever it is, I forgive you."

Daisy gives him a nod. She knows he can't mean it, not when he doesn't know what she's even sorry for, but she understands that he's not going to take no for an answer. And it's not like she could actually tell him.

So she curls into his body, letting him caress her figure as he lulls her into a deep sleep and she feels herself falling into the void of nothingness as it all goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, things are working out so far! Anyone have any theories on how/when Daniel will find out about Quake?
> 
> Next time: The investigations into the Watchdogs continue. Daisy hears a confession that scares her.
> 
> Until Friday!


	6. then i'm outrunning the dark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Ghost Rider is out and about. Captain America calls," Steve says, standing up and getting up to head out the door.
> 
> Daisy quickly shuts her laptop and hops up as well. "You know, that's a great time to call it a day. See you tomorrow?"
> 
> Mack shrugs and Daniel blinks as she runs out. Steve even holds the door for her, letting her out first, like he expected it.
> 
> Honestly, if Daniel didn't know any better, he would assume that Daisy was Quake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's more of a filler, I suppose. We'll be diverting to a slower plot, but lots of relationship dramas and yearning. Just for a few chapters. Then, everything will go to hell and plot will go full sprint. So...enjoy this while it lasts?

They've spent the last week going over files.

Daniel and Steve focus on the copious amounts of old paperwork that's been stashed away in archival folders. There, they unlock Pierce's history, his connections, and his potential allies. They slowly build a case against one of the most powerful men in the world.

Meanwhile, Mack and Daisy focus on the current, particularly on Ghost Rider. They pore through all the electronic archives.

Daniel quickly finds that Daisy is a computer master. He's heard that she's one of the best hackers out there, but it still surprises him every time he sees her hands fly across the keyboard, finding information within seconds. She hacks into Pierce's accounts, which looked extremely easy based on her relaxed stance and casual texting as she was doing it. But once he sees Steve and Mack looking at her in awe, he realizes that Daisy is probably a genius.

He finds himself growing attached to the rhythm of her typing. It's only been a week, but he finds any room he steps into too quiet.

But it can't just be any typing. It has to be  _ her  _ typing. Her quick keystrokes, tapping consistently and slamming. It's not exactly the most relaxing sound, but it's becoming music to Daniel's ears.

And Daniel tries not to think too much about how she looks while —

"You're staring again," Mack says, bumping his shoulder. Daniel didn't even realize he had walked over, and it's kind of hard to miss a guy as big as Mack. "I'd say to just ask her out, but she is seeing someone, so..."

(Yes, Daniel knows this. He's watched her from the lobby — purely just by coincidence; he's not following her, or anything. Most of the time, she's arriving or leaving in a black Charger. He thought (not hopefully, no, of course not) that maybe they were just friends, but Mack has confirmed otherwise. On multiple occasions.

But Daniel doesn't care. Not at all. His interest in Daisy is purely platonic. No romantic or sexual thoughts at all. Nope.)

Daniel recoils. "I'm not — " he protests a little loudly. "Look, I'm just curious!"

Mack levels him with a knowing look, but shrugs. "She's an interesting person, that's for sure."

"I just don't understand why she's S.H.I.E.L.D," he lets out, deflating a little.

"Coulson," Mack replies simply.

Daniel vaguely knows the story from her file. She was an orphan, she became a hacker to find her family, and then Coulson found her. Coulson and May officially adopted her, even though she was an adult, just because they wanted her to understand that she was loved and that she always has a family.

That last part was explained by Coulson over the phone. It's sweet, really.

And he thinks he gets it, until he thinks about it too much. There's just that bit in the middle he's unsure of, but Coulson didn't want to get into it.

("It's her story to tell," Coulson had said cryptically, his tone sounding bittersweet. "But I can assure you, she's loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D.")

Upon seeing the look on his face, Mack adds, "You'll have to ask her yourself for the rest."

Yeah, yeah. He gets it. He actually has to  _ talk  _ to her. But every time he tries, his tongue gets twisted in his mouth and he just kind of looks at her funny instead.

Daniel gazes over to where Daisy is typing, her face calm and relaxed. Her short hair shakes a little as she bobs her head around to the beat of her thumping leg as she types. She does that when she's restless, he notices. And she's restless a  _ lot. _ He'd find it annoying if it wasn't so endearing.

Then, her face scrunches up a little, her eyes narrowing as she looks at the screen. It's then that Steve's pager lights up.

"The Ghost Rider is out and about. Captain America calls," Steve says, standing up and getting up to head out the door.

Daisy quickly shuts her laptop and hops up as well. "You know, that's a great time to call it a day. See you tomorrow?"

Mack shrugs and Daniel blinks as she runs out. Steve even holds the door for her, letting her out first, like he expected it.

Honestly, if Daniel didn't know any better, he would assume that Daisy was Quake.

(Why Daniel knows better:

He had this theory last week. Shortly after discovering she was Skye, he felt the pieces of a puzzle coming together. He thought about her strange knowledge. Her sudden sickness and recovery. The fact that Jemma Simmons, the only alias that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been able to pinpoint, is her close friend. That Quake and Captain America seem to be working together more and more, despite Quake never teaming up with anyone since Electric's death.

Plus, he has a fascination with Daisy — purely platonic, he insists in his head again — that he's only ever had for Quake. It'd make sense if they were the same person, wouldn't it?

So, he checked. Of course. He's an investigator, it's in his nature to keep his eyes open.

And his theory was incorrect. She didn't have a stab wound in her shoulder — not even a healing scar — so she can't be Quake, unless she has super healing. But if she had super healing that wiped blemishes off of her body, she wouldn't have that light scar on her face.

So, Daisy is not Quake.

The idea was ridiculous anyway.)

His next theory seems entirely more plausible. She's obviously a Quake fan, if the footage from his office on the day she broke in is anything to go off of. She probably runs a blog or something. There are an infinite amount of fans who go to dangerous sites trying to catch a glimpse of a super, or footage to share online. It's become a fairly profitable venture. And she likes computers. She probably has a blog. It makes sense.

(There was that one time, two days ago, where he mentioned that he thought Quake's name was kind of silly. Quake.  _ Quake. _ Who names these people, anyway?

"It's a perfectly fine name," she shot out with a scowl.

"What about Electric?" he barked out with amusement.

She got really really quiet after that.)

Totally a fangirl.

Daniel and Mack continue to work on the case, even after the sudden leave of Steve and Daisy.

Mack is cool. He likes Mack. After the identity of Slingshot was discovered and she narrowly avoided being blown to smithereens by a Watchdog bomb, Daniel had approached him about joining his investigation squad. With the super going into hiding, her handler didn't have much else to do. Mack agreed quickly, his belief in the theory suddenly becoming full-fledged after what had happened.

"Any leads on the Ghost Rider's car?" Daniel asks.

Mack groans lightly. "Turns out, there's a lot of vintage red cars in Los Angeles. This whole thing would be so much easier if the witnesses got a year, or even a  _ make, _ you know."

Daniel looks over his shoulder to see the long list of cars for sale. "You really think he'd put that car up for sale?"

"Nah," Mack agrees, "but it's hard to ask around while trying not to let on that we're looking for Ghost Rider. We can't talk to anyone S.H.I.E.L.D. about it. But maybe car dealers will know a thing or two."

Daniel shrugs. He knows a thing or two about vintage cars, but honestly, his knowledge would not surpass Mack's.

"I've got it narrowed down to a few makes, at least," Mack adds. "If Steve can catch a glimpse of the car tonight, we might be able to narrow it down even further."

"How long have you known Daisy?" Daniel blurts out suddenly.

Mack blinks a little, and sighs. "Four, five years, I guess? Back when I was still a mechanic. FitzSimmons dragged her to happy hour." His eyes roll as Daniel's eyes are pensive. "Dude, once again, just talk to her. It's not hard."

Under his breath, he mutters, "Curious, my ass."

Daniel frowns. "I heard that," he says. Mack doesn't seem to care. "There's just something I can't place my finger on."

"Yeah, she's hot," Mack supplies.

Daniel blushes, looking down. "I won't deny that," he mumbles quietly, "but that's not what I'm talking about."

Mack lets out a large sigh, his expression turning more serious. "Daisy is a little hard to read, I know. It took me ages, but I met her right after she went through something pretty terrible. Honestly, I barely even know what it is."

"And you don't find that strange?" Daniel asks genuinely. "She went from S.H.I.E.L.D's biggest threat to an agent and no one seems to know why." After a second he adds, "It's not that I don't trust her. Because I know I do, for some reason. I just...I can't figure her out."

"You're her superior," Mack says, "so she'll answer you if you ask her. Just...be careful. She doesn't really talk about it, but I think she's been through some tough shit."

But that's just the thing. Daniel doesn't want to ask as her boss, he wants to know her as...something else. His curiosity isn't necessarily in a professional sense. As he said, he trusts her, for some reason. He doesn't know why — by all accounts, he  _ shouldn't. _ They first met because she broke into his office pretending to be a C.I.A. agent. That isn't really a great precursor for trust.

Instead, he immediately brought her into his team, just because she  _ believed  _ him.

Daniel doesn't regret it a single bit.

He finds himself missing her typing only ten minutes after she leaves.

  
  


-

  
  


The fight with Ghost Rider leaves Daisy sore.

Well, it wasn't really a fight with Ghost Rider. It was more a fight with a giant flaming object that the Ghost Rider had flung at her when she tried to stop him from roasting a bunch of pathetic gang members supplying the Watchdogs with military-grade weaponry.

(She does debate, for a minute, letting him do it. They deserve to burn in hell for all the atrocities they commit against supers.

But her moral compass weighs heavy, so she tries to stop him.

Keyword: Tries.)

Since her van is out of commission indefinitely, and Jemma's still too sore about the whole Quake thing for her to crash there, she's been basically living with the Reyes brothers. She debates heading straight there after the fight, but Gabe texts her to let her know that Robbie isn't home yet.

Daisy still finds herself visiting the FitzSimmons apartment almost daily, despite her exile. She's lost count of how many, "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed," speeches she's gotten from Jemma so far. She just needs more time, she insists.

Daisy understands, she does, but it still hurts. She just wants her best friends back.

(She has barely even gotten a second with Fitz, because she doesn't want to drive the wedge between FitzSimmons even further. Jemma's angry enough at him for keeping such a secret, but she doesn't have it in her to go too long without speaking to him.)

Today, Jemma isn't even there when she knocks on the door softly.

"You can come in," Fitz tells her, his voice bitter for some reason, "Simmons isn't home."

Daisy hesitantly walks into the entrance hall. She beelines to the fridge, raiding for snacks as she shrugs off her outer layer of clothes. She hasn't had a chance to do this since the Quake reveal, and the Reyes fridge doesn't quite satisfy her needs. Robbie's a little too much of a health-nut. His fridge is filled with fruits and vegetables and food that you actually have to  _ cook. _ It's a nightmare.

She tosses her mask to Fitz. "I know you've been itching to upgrade it," Daisy tells him with the raise of her eyebrow. His eyes light up. It's been too long (read: a week) since he's got to mess around with it. He still hasn't even been able to fix the tear at the shoulder.

"What's got you so sour?" Daisy inquires with a small smirk as she cracks open a bottle of beer. She takes a big mouthful of it. "Jemma still keeping you in the doghouse?"

"It's been awful," he whines, his unhappiness growing, "but it's not that. She's on a  _ date. _ With Will."

"Oh!" she exclaims excitedly. Jemma's on a date! Jemma hasn't been on a proper date in, like, a year! Then, she realizes the crestfallen expression on Fitz's face and remembers his feelings. "Oh," she adds dejectedly.

"Yeah," Fitz sighs as he collapses into the couch. Daisy grabs another beer and hands it to him before sitting beside him. "She's doing it just to punish me."

She rubs his shoulder. "I don't think she means it like that," she tells him. "She just doesn't realize how you feel. It's not like you've told her." Daisy pauses for a moment. "You haven't, have you?"

Fitz closes his eyes and rubs his hand to his face. "I...kind of did," he admits to her surprise. "I told her I saw her as more than a friend when I thought we were going to die. We haven't talked about it since."

(Daisy vaguely knows what mission he's referencing. Fury had commissioned them for what was meant to be a low-risk investigation of an aquatic super in the Atlantic ocean. The marine pod malfunctioned, and they were stuck at the bottom of the ocean with limited oxygen. Luckily, they had both survived, but only after Fitz had nearly sacrificed himself. He had to go through a lot of therapy and healing after that. They swore off field work after that, sticking to the comforts of the lab. Apparently, he isn't quite the same, but it's not like Daisy knows how he was previously.

It happened before she met them, which means — )

"But that was years ago!" Daisy shouts, shooting up from the couch to level him with a stare.

Fitz shrugs. "A lot happened. Coma, brain damage, all that. Kind of got in the way."

"Bullshit," she cries out. "I can't believe you never told me!"

"Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing," he tells her, a blush lining his cheeks. It's rare, seeing him blush. Usually he's stoic and has this awkward, but endearing, arrogance to him. Jemma Simmons is the only thing that gets him quiet and shy. "She doesn't feel the same way. It's why she never brings it up. And I don't want to...I don't know. I don't want her to feel like it changed anything."

She frowns. "Well, then I wouldn't have teased you about never telling her," she says softly, filled with regret. "But for the record, I don't think her not saying anything means she doesn't like you back. She probably just doesn't know how to process it. Maybe she thinks your feelings changed."

"Yeah, right," Fitz scoffs. Daisy gives him an affectionate look and he smiles softly. Then, he frowns again. "Except she's out with bloody Will."

The thing is, Daisy and Fitz never really talk about their feelings. If Jemma's not around, they rarely even talk about her, except for a few offhanded jokes that Daisy makes. And, well, Jemma's usually around, and if she isn't, they're busy talking about Quake things. Like Fitz's new genius ideas to upgrade the suit, or how amazingly cool it was to meet Daredevil. Those kinds of things.

It's silent for a moment, them enjoying each other's company. Then, Fitz speaks up again. "So, you ever gonna think about you and Robbie?"

Daisy's eyebrows rise up as she gives him a sideways glance. "Me and Robbie? Not a chance." Just the idea of it is ridiculous to her. Her and Robbie aren't like that. Sure, he's sweet and soft when you get to know him, but he's not...romantic. Neither of them are interested in that kind of thing.

"You're quite literally living together," Fitz says. "And totally doing it."

She hits him with a pillow and he pathetically fails at dodging it. She tells him, voice matter-of-fact, "Maybe we are fooling around, but we're not an 'us'. We're just...Daisy and Robbie."

"He's totally in love with you!" he tells her, incredulously. She laughs, but Fitz levels her with a serious expression. "I'm not joshing around, it's obvious that he bloody adores you."

Daisy's smile morphs into a worried frown. "No," she replies a little helplessly. "He's not!"

(Daisy tries not to think about how he was, in fact, a semblance of romantic throughout the past week. They've had a steady routine that was all-too easy to fall into. She wakes up with his body curled around her, they get ready for work. When she comes home, he makes a nice dinner for them — one time, he even sent Gabe to a friend's house so they could be alone for a night — and nights don't always end with them fucking. Robbie seems just as content with holding her in his arms, his nose in the crook of her neck.

She definitely tries not to think about how even their sex is softer now. Robbie takes his time worshipping her with his mouth and hands. He fucks her slowly, with purpose, his eyes looking into her soul. It's tender and  _ loving, _ and — 

She's pushed aside the possible implications of the major adjustments to their relationship as of late.)

"Do you really think he'd have you living with him if it was really just that casual?"

"Hey!" she objects. "I pretty much live with you, too!"

"We're not...having relations," Fitz reasons, shifting a bit awkwardly. "It's different."

"Ugh, says the guy who refuses to say 'sex' out loud. Robbie and I are in an adult agreement," she retorts. "He's a big boy, he can handle it."

"Whatever you say," Fitz mumbles. "Just know that it'll all come crashing down soon enough."

Daisy doubts that it ever will.

  
  


-

  
  


It all comes crashing down, soon enough.

That night, almost as if to prove a point, Daisy drags Robbie into bed in a midst of flailing limbs and messy kisses, peeling their clothes off desperately. Their actions become hard and frantic, never being able to get enough of each other. She begs him to forget about his gentleness, because that's what's causing her brain to panic. Gentle isn't them.

Both of them have the same motive and objective.

_ Forget. _

Gentle and tender doesn't get them there. Hard and fast does.

Afterward, when Daisy falls to his side, breathing deeply, Robbie presses a kiss to her necks and she cringes. He pulls back and takes a look at her neck.

There's a fairly large bruise blooming at her collarbone from her earlier super antics. She recalls the flash of pain when Ghost Rider threw half a wall at her.

Robbie's finger traces it delicately, his brow creasing in worry. "What happened?" he asks softly, his eyes looking into hers.

"Oh, it's nothing," she tells him quickly. "Just clumsy, you know?"

Usually, that'd get him laughing or teasing her, because she totally is clumsy, but instead, he looks back down at the bruise with a haunted look. His fingers are soft and gentle against it. "Daisy, I'm serious, how did you get that?"

Daisy squirms, not understanding his worry. She has injuries quite often — her actually being clumsy really helps sell the strange bruises she gets. "Look, I just...ran into a door in a weird way," she fibs. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You promise?" he asks desperately, looking into her eyes, into her soul.

"I'm sure," she says softly, pressing a palm against his chest in a calming manner. He lets out a breath he's been holding in. "I'm fine, I'm just a clutz."

"I knew..." Robbie starts so quietly that she can't hear him. His voice is filled with an odd relief, and he closes his eyes. "I knew you couldn't be her."

Daisy's breath is the one that catches now. Had he suspected that she was Quake? Had Gabe said something to him?

She's instantly soothed a bit when Robbie takes her hand and presses a kiss to her palm, pulling her against him. She snuggles close, breathing in his scent when — 

"I love you," Robbie murmurs softly, full of peace and contentment.

Daisy's head shoots up suddenly. "What did you just say?"

Robbie tilts his head towards her, opening his eyes slowly. His expression is affectionate, his eyes are filled with pure adoration. "I mean it," he says earnestly, "I love you."

She barks out a laugh, one full of disbelief, but she frowns as she notices the look on his face. He's serious. He's one-hundred percent, utterly serious.

"I'm sorry," her voice cracks as she speaks, pushing away from him. "I can't — I can't do this."

Daisy does the only thing she knows how to do when it comes to relationships these days.

She runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the bigger plot twist here is that Robbie DOESN'T know that Daisy is Quake. Everyone was so sure he did. Surprise? I almost feel bad for what's about to happen.
> 
> Next time: Shit goes down. Also, Dousy has an actual conversation, because we all want that.


	7. that lesson of love, all that it was.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was easy. It was simple.
> 
> But now, it's not.
> 
> Now, it's messy. Robbie fell in love.
> 
> And Daisy didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically all the proof you need to know that Jemma should've been in Sousa's secret squad all along.

_I love you._

Of course, Daisy runs.

The last time she heard those three words uttered, Lincoln had died. He sacrificed himself in her stead. She didn't even get the chance to say it back.

Daisy and Robbie met just a couple months after his death. She was still in mourning, going into what her friends affectionately called the "emo goth phase". She was determined not to feel anything, going through extreme measures to numb herself.

Then, she met Robbie.

(Robbie wasn't in mourning, exactly, but he was dark and brooding and exactly what she thought she needed.

When he was first brought in as a consultant to check out Lola — he had a specialty in enhanced cars that Mack hadn't quite grasped — he was aloof. He grunted out words, rarely speaking, sending glares all around. He only seemed to be comfortable around Mack, talking about vintage cars.

Mack was the one who pushed him and Daisy together, insisting that someone needed to check out her piece-of-shit van because he was sick of it. Robbie barely paid any attention to her or her rambling as he worked.

"You're kind of an asshole, you know," she had commented after a while. He pushed himself from under her van to give her a raised eyebrow.

Later, she ended up pinning him against his Charger, tugging his mouth down to hers forcefully. He wasted no time in gripping desperately at her hips, pulling her flush against him. "I thought you said I was an asshole," he had pointed out huskily. It was the most words he'd strung together all day.

"So?" Daisy breathed out as he moved onto her neck. She had just wanted to forget about everything. About Lincoln. Fucking an asshole was easy. When they treated her rougher, like she wasn't someone to worship, she didn't have to think about how it should be Lincoln's hands around her, not this stranger's.)

She never expected to become friends with Robbie. She never even expected to see him again after letting him fuck her in the backseat of his car.

Love was never supposed to be an issue.

Even after finding out how soft Robbie was once she broke through the hard exterior, they seemed to have a mutual understanding. He never asked about what she was trying to forget during the nights together, and she paid him the same favor.

It was easy. It was simple.

But now, it's not.

Now, it's messy. Robbie fell in love.

And Daisy didn't.

She cares, of course. She cares a lot. But she still loves Lincoln. She thinks so, anyway.

It's funny, really. Every night since Lincoln died, he plagued her dreams. Her nights were fitful and she never slept through them. It made her nightly escapades as Quake easy. She didn't mourn the loss of sleep.

But, ever since she's been sleeping over at Robbie's, her sleep has been restful. She only had that one peaceful dream, and then nothing.

Daisy wonders if this was Lincoln's way of telling her to let go. To move on. Be happy.

She ends up at his grave.

It's not much of a grave, really. Or, well, not one at all. There wasn't anything left of his body. And she can't stand to go to Electric's memorial stand. It's grand and always filled with fans of the supers. The letters and flowers are all shallow — no one really knew him.

The grave that Daisy is at is the makeshift memorial she made for him. Not Electric, but _Lincoln._ She had buried the necklace he had with him underneath a tree in their favourite park, right below where they had once carved their names into the wood.

Daisy feels numb as she lays under the tree.

It's a strange feeling. She's usually overcome with mourning, guilt, and sometimes even rage here. She's never felt entirely numb.

That in itself makes her upset.

She wants to wake up every morning and feel the pain. His death was on her. It's her fault. His blood is on her hands.

The words feel like an empty mantra in her head now. She doesn't believe it in her soul anymore.

After that, Daisy drags herself to the only place I can think of.

"I'm sorry," is the first thing she says when the door opens. "I know you don't want to see me, but...I don't really have anywhere else to go right now."

She probably looks like a mess. She's covered in dirt and tears and smeared makeup. Jemma's face looks up and down her body in horror, then worry, then the Mama-Bear expression she gets when she finds someone she needs to take care of.

Jemma nearly drags her in, pulling her into a deep hug, and Daisy cries in her arms.

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel knows that something's wrong with Daisy pretty much immediately.

Her eyes are hollow, lacking the usual twinkle. She doesn't have anything witty to say to him when she comes in, which is especially weird, considering he was attempting (and failing) to use a laptop to get to some archived records. She simply did it for him without a word. No teasing. No smile. Not even a hello or a good morning.

She works quietly. Even her keystrokes seem dull and uninspired. She doesn't check her phone, even though it's constantly buzzing.

Daniel doesn't know why she seems so sad, but whatever it is, he doesn't like it. He wants her to smile again. Preferably in his direction.

Mack is the one who comes in with the good news.

"Steve saw a glimpse of the Ghost Rider's car last night," he told them. "And from that, we were able to narrow it down to a vintage Charger. The year is between '56 and '74, which is still a lot to sift through. But it narrows it down quite a bit."

Daniel looks at Daisy, who is looking at Mack closely, but her eyes don't even light up. He frowns. Looking for Ghost Rider was what got her into this. He thought news like this would be what would make her smile.

"Red car?" she asks dully.

"Not sure," Mack replies. "But, likely, yes. Any other colour would still stand out from under the flames." It's silent for a moment before Mack adds, "You should ask Robbie. The Charger is practically his baby."

Daisy looks down. Daniel almost swears she's got tears welling in her eyes. "We're not exactly talking, right now," she says quietly.

_Oh._

"Trouble in paradise?" Mack asks with a raised eyebrow. Both Daniel and Daisy shoot him a glare. He raises his hands in mock surrender.

Mack departs from the room, leaving Daniel and Daisy alone again.

He moves to sit next to her. "Hey," he says softly.

She glances at him quickly. "Hi," she replies quietly. "What is it?"

"Just making sure you're okay," he tells her, giving a small smile.

She looks at him a little blankly. "I'm fine," she settles on finally, looking back down at her computer. He knows she isn't telling the truth, but he doesn't push.

"How's the blog?" he asks, a little teasingly. He knows he probably shouldn't know about it, but hey, if it makes her happy...

Her expression changes from empty to pure confusion. "The blog?"

"Come on," he says, his voice lowering and eyebrows raising. "That blog that's got you hunting supers all the time. You're not that subtle."

Daisy blinks at him. "Oh," she says a little dumbly, her face perplexed. "Yeah. Um. It's fine. The blog is doing...fine."

"That's good," he says. "I trust that you're not putting any S.H.I.E.L.D. info on there?"

"I assure you, Chief," Daisy says with a slight bit of amusement, "that there is no S.H.I.E.L.D. info on this...blog."

Daniel feels overjoyed as he sees the light coming back to Daisy's eyes, with her mouth slightly turned up in a small smile.

(Okay, maybe Daniel has a little crush. Just a small one. He reasons that it's perfectly natural, given how beautiful and clever and funny she is. Who wouldn't have a crush on her?)

His eyes scan Daisy up and down as her entire body seems to relax a little. It's less slumped and more energized, now, her sadness temporarily diverted.

That's when he sees it. The faint smudge of makeup on her neck, covering what looks to be a purpling injury.

Daniel leans in a little and see that, yes, that is the beginning of a large bruise on her neck. His hand comes up and his thumb wipes a bit of the makeup away.

Daisy jumps away from him. "What is with you and touching?" she asks angrily, her hand quickly coming to cover her neck. "Ever heard of personal space?"

"I'm sorry," he stammers. "But you're hurt — "

"It's none of your damn business," she sneers before grabbing her things and leaving.

Daniel briefly worries that it might actually be.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy is leaving work with Jemma when she gets the notification.

The Ghost Rider is out. It's not even dark out, yet.

_Great._

Looks like the blog that she now has to make to divert Chief Sousa is going to have to wait.

(Seriously? A blog?)

"Duty calls," Daisy tells her quietly, making sure no one else can overhear. "I have to catch this flaming head."

" _We_ have to get to him," Jemma clarifies with a stern look.

(The two of them talked a lot last night. Daisy can't say that Jemma forgave her, exactly. Not entirely. But she's open and willing to be a part of everything. Her best friend is a super, and she intends to help in any way she can.

They also talked a little bit about Robbie.

"Hang on," Jemma had interrupted, "he only said it after he was sure you weren't Quake? And that he was panicked over your injury?"

Daisy mumbled a little, "Yes."

"How did he know? I mean, I never even guessed after years of interacting with both you and Quake. It just... How did he know to guess?"

"Gabe and I..." Daisy had answered, "we tried to be subtle, but Robbie probably overheard something."

"Completely unrelated question," Jemma had started immediately after, "but the Ghost Rider has always let you live? Only minor maiming?"

When Daisy confirmed, Jemma simply replied with a little, "Huh.")

"I appreciate the help, Simmons, but I can take it from here," Daisy tells her clearly. "On my own."

Jemma frowns. "We're in this together now," she responds sternly, "so, suck it up. Besides, I have a theory to test."

  
  


-

  
  


Jemma wouldn't let on what her theory was, but Quake set her up to observe nearby. They also drag Fitz along, setting things up like in the old days.

"Have you seen It before?" Jemma asks Fitz curiously. "The Ghost Rider?"

(Fitz had, once. He prefers not to think of it, even though the Ghost Rider probably saved his life.)

"Big flaming head," Fitz replies cryptically. "You can't miss it."

"Alright," Quake tells the both of them, "Stay here. You're here only to observe."

FitzSimmons give her a quick nod and she heads out into the world. From what she could gather, the Ghost Rider was tracking the Watchdogs during a weapons shipment. The Watchdogs took multiple cars, trying to mask which one is carrying the package.

Whatever it is, it must be important to them.

Ghost Rider has taken out four of the five envoys now. Quake managed to track the last one to this empty side-street here. It's the perfect attack spot — it's private and lacks civilians. The van should pass in...

_Five._

_Four._

_Three —_

It's early, and it's quickly apparent why. The van is on fire, speeding like crazy, as Ghost Rider rips open the top and drags one of the guards out. Quake sends a jolt that tilts the whole van over, sending it on its side, screeching to a halt on the street.

"That was loud," Jemma says pleasantly into her ear. "Is everyone okay?"

"Don't distract her!" Fitz scolds Jemma in the background. "Comms are for important information only!"

"Just fine," Quake grits out.

The car crash barely makes the Ghost Rider halt. Even after skidding down the street, he drags himself up and makes his way back to the van. He burns one, then two, while Quake tries to drag the others to safety.

One gains consciousness and immediately springs away from her. "Get away from me, you freak!" he yells nastily.

"I'm trying to save your life, asshole," she mutters, but it's too late. The Watchdog runs from her and right into the willing arms of Ghost Rider.

He barely has time to scream before he's reduced to ash.

"Shit," Quake says. "There's only one left — "

Ghost Rider makes his way to the waking Watchdog. Quake intercepts. "You don't get to decide who deserves to die!" she yells out, trying to distract Ghost Rider. It works. He tilts his flaming skull, and she almost thinks he's _curious._

In the corner of her eye, she sees as the final Watchdog springs awake and grabs something from the van.

The package.

_Fuck._

Neither Quake nor Ghost Rider have the time to react as the Watchdog fires the weapon. The laser hits Ghost Rider right in the chest, leaving a gaping hole in it. He goes down.

Whatever the package is, it has the capability to kill supers like that.

"Ghost Rider is down!" Quake yells into her comms. The weapon hums in energy before it is powered again, and another shot is taken. She has the chance to react, and quakes it away. "They've got some laser thing — that's the package!"

"Lasers?" Fitz asks curiously. "What kind of range — "

"Not now!" Quake hisses as she diverts another blast. This one hits the electrical systems, and the entire street blacks out. "Guys?" she calls into the comms.

Dead silence.

"Great," she mutters. "Just great."

Her hands raise to quake the Watchdog, but instead she's met with the surprising view of Ghost Rider stalking behind him. The gaping hole in his chest is healing, how the _fuck_ —

Ghost Rider burns the Watchdog. The weapon clatters to the ground.

For a minute, they're at a standstill. Quake approaches slowly, her hands slightly raised. She reaches for the weapon.

"I have friends who can study it," she says carefully. "They can make sure these things never hurt us."

A part of her is banking on the fact that Jemma was right. The Ghost Rider never seriously hurts her. He just does what he has to to get her out of his way. She's not sure if it's some kind of moral rule that he doesn't kill supers, but she doesn't care.

Besides, they probably want the same thing here. If FitzSimmons take a look at the weapon, they'll find something that can defend against the lasers. The Watchdogs's plan will be foiled, and the Ghost Rider won't have to heal gaping holes in his chest.

How the hell did that happen, anyway?

Quake grabs the weapon, and Ghost Rider lunges.

Maybe she misjudged a little.

The weapon flies to the side as the two of them grapple. His flames don't seem to hurt her, but she still feels like she's on fire. She sends a blast to push him off of her. She reaches for the weapon again.

Ghost Rider grabs her and flings her into the air. She falls with a sickening crunch and groans.

She really needs to revisit that theory about not seriously maiming her. She's fine, right now, but he could've done some serious damage if she landed another way.

And, she quickly finds out, it did some serious damage to _something._

The cracked mask falls off of her face and she feels the disguise fading away. Her long, purple hair turns back into short and brown, and her civilian clothes become visible.

She stares at the ground, a little in shock, as she tries to heave herself up.

Ghost Rider does that for her. He lifts her and throws her down on her back and she starts to weakly quake him.

Then, he freezes.

His flaming hand is stuck midair. Daisy could swear she sees his eyes widening, even though he doesn't actually have eyes. The flames start to dim and he springs away as if _he_ was the one to get burned.

Daisy starts seeing stars as she feels her bones start to vibrate without the protection of her gauntlets. But she swears that she sees the Ghost Rider turn back into a normal, non-flaming man as he runs away from her, his back turned.

It takes a minute for Daisy to get up again after that. She's not seriously injured, but she's definitely going to be stiff and sore in the morning. She does not recommend being thrown against concrete.

She picks up her broken mask. She has extras, just in case, so she's not worried. Fitz will be able to fix this one in no time, anyway.

But she's left wondering. Why had Ghost Rider left when he saw her civilian form?

Daisy taps the comms in her ear for a second before realizing it's useless. She picks up her phone and dials instead.

"Oh, thank god," Jemma says when she picks up. "The comms went silent when the Watchdogs cut our power. We thought — "

"I'm fine," Daisy says. "Something weird happened. The Ghost Rider got my mask off and then... He just ran. He went back to his human self, I think. CCTV caught it."

"I don't think it's weird at all," Jemma says, her tone pensive.

"Whatever the Watchdogs did, it fried our systems," Fitz says unhappily. "We're not gonna see the footage from here. Maybe if we get home..."

"I'm not too far from Robbie's," Daisy says. "I left my laptop there; I'll be able to get it."

"No!" Jemma says suddenly, a little panicked. "Daisy, I don't think that's a good — "

"Be sure to grab the weapon," she interrupts.

"Daisy — "

Daisy hangs up before they finish.

She hesitates before knocking on Robbie's door. She didn't leave on the best of terms, last night. She probably broke his heart. It wasn't fair for her to be here.

It's not that she doesn't care. It's not that she isn't willing to try, after thinking about it for the majority of the day. She wonders if she could ever love him back. She thinks she could. But the fact of the matter is, he had only said he loved her after deciding that she wasn't Quake.

They've never really talked about supers. Other than a few offhanded comments about how terrible the Watchdogs are, it never really comes up. Daisy knew that Robbie didn't hate supers, but the idea of dating one is entirely different.

She had to tell him. She had to come clean about it before they could talk about anything else, because that was the only fair way to do things. He couldn't really decide if he did love her if he didn't know _all_ of her.

"Shit," is the first thing Robbie says as he opens the door. He looks wrecked, haunted, and Daisy feels absolutely awful for the way she treated him. "You shouldn't be here."

Daisy moves past him. He's nervous, wringing his hands and his keys. He follows her. "Daisy, I'm serious, I need to tell you — "

"I promise we'll talk," Daisy says quickly, before she can change her mind about what she's about to reveal to him. "But the short story is: You were right. I'm Quake. And I think I have a major lead on Ghost Rider, I just need to — "

She freezes as she notices the leather jacket in front of her eyes, simply spread out on the chair in front of her.

Ghost Rider's leather jacket.

She realizes very suddenly that the Ghost Rider's Charger matches Robbie's nearly perfectly. This whole time, she thought it had to be red. It could've been any neutral colour — just lit with flames every time the spirit rides it.

A black one, perhaps.

"I'm sorry," Robbie chokes out.

"Robbie?" she whispers quietly, her voice quivering. He's now silent behind her, except for a faint sizzling.

Daisy turns around, only to be met with a face whose flesh is burning into a red and orange inferno, and then she sees nothing but black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MWUAHAHAHA!
> 
> Next time: Do I really need to say it? I think you all know what the next chapter will be about.


	8. i just want the devil to hate me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're the Ghost Rider," Daisy says, staring at him in awe. Because of course he is. Because of course, out of all the people in the world, Ghost Rider would end up being the guy she's been shacking up with. Because of course that's how the universe wants to mess with her life.
> 
> Of course.
> 
> "And you're Quake," Robbie responds, leveling her with a similar stare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One ship sinks, and another ship rises.
> 
> Also, be prepared for a LOT of information. You're about to get a lot of answers in this chapter, and a whole bunch of new questions.

Daisy comes to slowly, blinking her way back into consciousness. The world blurs into focus, and she sees Robbie wrapping her arms in bandaging delicately.

_ Robbie. _

"I always wondered why your arms were always injured," he says softly as he finishes it off. "It's your power, isn't it?"

She quickly becomes aware that she can't move. She's tightly bound to a chair with rope. She could easily quake her way out of it, but — 

"You're the Ghost Rider," Daisy says, staring at him in awe. Because of course he is. Because of course, out of all the people in the world, Ghost Rider would end up being the guy she's been shacking up with. Because of course that's how the universe wants to mess with her life.

_ Of course. _

"And you're Quake," Robbie responds, leveling her with a similar stare.

Daisy hesitates. "But you knew that already, didn't you?" she probes.

Robbie stays quiet. It's all making sense now. Robbie likely always had some kind of suspicion — how couldn't he have known?

Then again, she had never suspected that he was the Ghost Rider, even when they had the same goddamn car.

People believe what they want to believe, until the evidence is right in front of their noses.

It's how she's gotten away with being Quake for so long.

"How long have you known about me?" Daisy asks instead.

"I didn't know for sure until your mask came off. But," he swallows. She can tell he's nervous. She thinks about just last night, when he seemed so desperate to find out about her injury. Her being Quake, the vigilante hunting him down nightly, is probably his worst-case scenario. "It knew — It saw into your soul. I suspected... It saved Quake that night, so I knew she had to mean something to It...or me. And you're the only person..."

It doesn't take a genius to see that this whole ordeal is tearing Robbie up inside. Daisy would almost feel bad if it weren't for the fact that he was the Ghost Rider.  _ That  _ certainly put a damper on things.

It all starts to make sense. He never questioned her nighttime run-offs because he was probably leaving for somewhere too. And the Ghost Rider was most silent while she was practically living with him. He didn't admit he loved her until after he was convinced that she wasn't Quake. And the Ghost Rider let her live —

_ Wait. _

"It?"

"The Rider," Robbie clarifies.

Daisy blinks. " _ You're _ the Ghost Rider."

Robbie is quick to shake his head and explain, "The Spirit lives within me. I'm just a passenger."

She narrows her eyes. She knows enough about dissociation. "Well, that is awfully convenient," she huffs out. "Is that what you tell yourself to feel better about all the people you murder?"

Robbie's head shoots up, his expression darkening. She barely recognizes the man that she knows. "I only kill asesinos who deserve it. It's vengeance, chica."

"I don't disagree that the Watchdogs are assholes, but they don't deserve to die, no matter how tempting it is," Daisy reasons. "But what about all your other victims? You killed a detective."

"He had blood on his hands," he makes clear.

Well, that makes sense, but —

"A teacher!" she lists off.

Robbie shrugs. "A pedophile."

Okay, well, maybe he has a point. But...

"You don't get to decide who deserves to die," she repeats, the mantra living in her head.

It's not like Daisy has mourned the loss of the Watchdogs that she watched burn by the Ghost Rider's hands. A dark part of her, she thinks, probably feels satisfaction from it. But it's a part of her that she buries deep, along with the thoughts of her mother and father, because those are the seeds that create a monster.

She's no monster, and she never intends to be.

Robbie's eyes flare up with orange. "I'm not the one who decides."

Daisy rolls her eyes. "Oh, not this again. Trying to save your soul, huh?"

"You wanna save my soul? I'm telling you, girl, I sold mine."

At that, she raises her eyebrows skeptically. "To the Devil?"

"He was the only one buying, you know?"

Daisy lets out a dark laugh, one void of humour and lightness. It's purely ironic. "You're insane," she tells him. "You're clinically insane."

Robbie's expression softens as he frowns, the fire fading from his eyes, but the hard lines still remain. "I'm telling you the truth, Daisy. I wasn't born a super. I prayed for vengeance. I got it. You? Fighting to right every wrong, all the while begging to be taken out." He looks deep into her eyes as he continues, "Seems to me your thing is serving penance. You know, we're not so different, you and me."

It's ironic, how she kept him so distant purely because she thought they were so different. Because she thought he was just some regular mechanic, while she was a super vigilante, running from the law and fighting crime.

"Yeah, you just feel bad for the dead in your wake. I don't feel anything," Robbie says, his voice lowering.

Daisy has known Robbie for a while now, and one thing she's pretty certain of, is that he feels  _ a lot. _ He cares for Gabe, he cares for her.

"If that were true, you would've killed me by now," she points out.

Robbie looks down, avoiding her gaze. "I could never hurt you," he says.

"Yet, you did," she points out a bit bitterly. "Countless times, we've fought."

"I never would've fought if I knew it were you!" he cries out desperately. "I can't control It, but It knew that Quake was important to us. It panicked when you were about to out us and took control. I should've — "

He buries his head in his hands a little frantically, overcome with emotion. "Dios mío, Daisy, I meant what I said last night."

Daisy's heart clenches as she looks at the man before her. She realizes, suddenly, that she believes him. He didn't know. And more importantly, he has some Vengeance Demon inside of him that he can't exactly control.

"Robbie," she says quietly, prompting him to look up. "How long have you been..."

"The car accident," he says brokenly. "That's when I got stuck with it."

Daisy doesn't need clarification. She knows it's the accident that put Gabe in a wheelchair. Some gangsters shot up the Charger. She's heard the story plenty of times from Gabe.

"What exactly is 'It'?" Daisy questions. "Because I still don't buy the whole 'sold my soul' story."

Robbie looks at her darkly. "Well, I don't give a damn what you buy. I'm the one stuck with it."

This makes her think. "So, you want to get rid of It."

"I thought that if I settled the score, took down the gangbangers that put Gabe in a wheelchair, It would go away. Didn't happen. So, I started settling other people's scores," Robbie explains.

"The supers," she finishes. "You're taking down the Watchdogs to settle the supers' score."

"The Rider hates them," he clarifies, "more than It's ever hated anything."

It makes sense, Daisy realizes. In a world of supers, who's to say that there aren't demons who can possess people? Or, if not that, a super that has the ability to take over others' bodies. It's not completely out of the question.

"So, you think that if you right whatever wrong the Watchdogs are stirring up, you can get rid of...him. It. Whatever."

Robbie nods slowly, in confirmation.

Daisy sighs. "Alright, let's have at it, then."

He looks up at her suddenly, his eyes lighting up with surprise and hope. "You want to help me?"

"Well, just to be clear," she tells him, "no killing. But hey, what are the chances of the two of us finding each other in our civilian lives? I can't say I necessarily believe in fate, but if you truly believe that the Devil is inside of you... Maybe we were meant to work together."

Robbie considers this for a moment. His soft, brown eyes bore into hers. She stares at him, unblinking, almost in a challenge. "Okay," he says finally.

"Alright, perfect," Daisy replies lightly. "Now, just let me go and we can go into S.H.I.E.L.D."

He pauses. "S.H.I.E.L.D? I'm not turning myself in."

"Come on," she moans impatiently. "S.H.I.E.L.D. won't rest until they've found you. You're kind of a serial killer. If you go now — "

"No," he says darkly. "I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. The Watchdogs — "

"We're aware," Daisy responds, deadpan. "The Ghost Rider-hunting division is very separated from any connection the Watchdogs may have. We also serve as a super-secret spy team trying to take them down."

"So, they know you're Quake?"

Her brow scrunches together and she looks down. "No," she says quietly. "One does. But the rest..."

It's quiet for a moment. "I'm not going in. I'll work with you, but not them."

"Why work for S.H.I.E.L.D?" Daisy asks curiously. If he doesn't trust them, then why...

"They came to me about helping them fix enhanced cars. I was one of the best mechanics out there; I guess I caught some attention," he tells her. She knows this part. The new stuff comes when he says, "At first, I wanted to say no. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I would be who people would come to about the Charger, looking for the Rider."

"Tactical," she comments with a sigh.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is filled with good people," Robbie assures her. "But I can't trust them with this. You must feel the same way, given that Quake is one of the few supers in L.A. that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't brought in."

"My reasons are my own," Daisy says quietly. "Tell me about the Watchdogs. How do you know they're in S.H.I.E.L.D?"

He hesitates. "It's because of the Starks."

She feels like she just got punched in the gut. The Starks? As in, Tony Stark? Iron Man?

If the Stark family is a part of the Watchdogs, then this is over. They own a company that pretty much rules the world with its weapon domain. Their research on supers,  _ everything, _ would mean the end.

"The Starks are Watchdogs?" she breathes out.

"No," Robbie says quickly. She lets out a deep exhale of relief. He clarifies, "You know, Iron Man isn't a super."

"Duh," Daisy chuckles out. "Everyone knows that. He's just mega rich."

"That's the part everyone knows. See, the Starks have been obsessed with supers for years. The older one — Howard Stark — he wanted to find a way to make a normal man a super. And he succeeded."

She considers this. "The suit. The Watchdogs want the suit — it's good enough to fight most supers."

"It's not just that," Robbie responds gravely. "That's not what I meant by he succeeded. He managed to turn someone into a super...biologically."

Daisy's blood runs cold.

The Starks have the power to turn anyone into a super.

"Captain America wasn't born a super," he reveals and Daisy can't breathe. "He was created by S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh, fuck," Daisy swears. "Fuck!"

It's not that she thinks anything less of Captain America, really. He's a great guy, and a great super. But the implications of this is off the charts. S.H.I.E.L.D. had created the perfect mascot. The man with a shield, saving lives, bringing peace to the world.

But he was a super, through and through. The Watchdog poisoning said as much. It wasn't supposed to damage anyone except supers, and it had almost killed Captain America.

Howard Stark's experiment couldn't have been more perfect.

"Do you understand how important this is?" Robbie asks slowly. "Why I can't stop this mission?"

Daisy's speechless, his revelations spinning around in her head. Anyone can become a super. If the Watchdogs get their hands on that serum, it's over.

And if there was a way to create powers, there must be a way to get rid of them too.

_ Fuck. _

"Where is the weapon?" Robbie asks her suddenly.

"The weapon?" she inquires, her mind blank. Their fight from earlier is the furthest thing from her mind. It feels like years ago, now.

"The one that shot a hole through my chest," he says impatiently. "It's Stark Tech. The core...it's made out of a super's powers. Do you know of any supers with the power of pure energy?"

"I...left it," Daisy says quietly. "I told — "

"You just left the weapon there?"

"My mission was to find Ghost Rider," Daisy explains cooly, "and FitzSimmons were right there."

Right on queue, there is a knock on the front door. She hears Jemma's voice call, "Daisy? You in there?"

"So, FitzSimmons has it," Robbie clarifies before standing.

"Robbie?" Daisy questions quickly, her eyes filling up with panic before he presses duct tape over her mouth right as she yells, "No, Robbie!"

Robbie rushes out of the room and fear seizes her. The Ghost Rider is going after FitzSimmons. She cries out as she quakes her restraints quickly and pulls the tape off of her mouth. She rushes to the entrance when she hears a scream —

_ No! _

"What the bloody hell?" Fitz exclaims.

Daisy can't help but breathe a sigh of relief as the scene comes into view. FitzSimmons are both fine, even though the weapon — that Jemma was holding, given the shocked expression on her face — is now ash at their feet.

Robbie looks over, the fire in his eyes turning back to normal.

"D'you really think I'd kill them?"

Daisy hesitates.

_ Yes,  _ she realizes. Not  _ Robbie, _ but  _ yes, _ she thought the Ghost Rider would've hurt them. They're one in the same now, she thinks.

She doesn't need to respond. Her hesitation gives Robbie his answer.

"The weapon's gone," Robbie says. "It's happy now. So, go, before It changes Its mind."

"Well,  _ I'm _ not happy!" Fitz cries out. "That was some highly advanced tech — "

"Not the time, Fitz," Jemma chastises in a harsh whisper.

"Go," Daisy tells them, keeping her eyes locked on Robbie. They barely hesitate before rushing out the door. Once they're gone, she says, "You said It  _ saved _ me. How? It wasn't just the stab wound that night, was it?"

Robbie gulps. "Sin manipulation. I — It absolved you from your guilt."

_ Lincoln. _

Suddenly, it all makes sense to Daisy. The abrupt end to her mourning, the lack of guilt left clawing at her soul. Her peaceful nights, her lack of dreams.

The Ghost Rider robbed her of her grief.

Her hand presses against her stomach as bile rises up her throat. There's a growing nausea deep in her gut. "You had no right," she whispers. "That was my burden to bear. You — It — I don't care...had no right to take that away from me."

Robbie looks down, ashamed. "I know."

"I know you don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D," Daisy says slowly. "But if you ever want to make this up to me — any of this — you'll trust me and turn yourself in."

"Gabe..." he chokes out.

_ Oh, God, Gabe. _

Daisy forgot about how messy this all is.

"He needs to know," she replies softly. "He's been helping me — Quake — find Ghost Rider. He needs to know."

"I know I have no right to ask of anything..." Robbie starts hesitantly.

"I'll be there," Daisy finishes, knowing what he's asking. "First thing in the morning."

_ For Gabe. _

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy doesn't look all that much better today, Daniel notices quickly. In fact, she looks  _ worse. _

She's wearing a large turtleneck, obscuring her bruised neck. Her arms are clutched close to her body and there is a large gash on her cheek, right where her scar usually sits. It looks like she attempted to clean it up and put makeup over it, which is a terrible mistake because, first of all, makeup on an open wound is just asking for an infection, and second of all, it's bleeding through anyway.

He stares at her for a minute, a frown forming.

She glances at him, looking mildly annoyed. "What?"

"Uh, sorry," he starts. "Just...your cheek." Her hand comes up to press against it as she frowns. "Who did that to you?"

"My boyfriend," she says bitterly.

Daniel freezes. Her boyfriend did that? Plus the bruising on her neck —

Daisy's eyes immediately widen as she realizes the implications of what she just revealed. "Oh my god," she says a little high-pitched. "Shit, it's not what you think, I swear."

A million questions and thoughts and emotions rise up in his chest, but in the end, he settles on, "It looks like the scar's opened up."

"It tends to do that," she mutters a bit quietly.

He bites his lip softly. "I've got a first aid kit. Putting makeup over it won't end well. I can make sure it's disinfected," he says. Then, he adds, "If that's alright with you."

It takes a moment, but she does a curt nod. He goes to grab the first aid kit in nearly record-time. He starts to apply the alcohol gauze to her skin and she hisses at the contact, pulling away slightly. "Sorry," he whispers. He presses it again, slowly, and begins to clean up the wound a little. "If you're in any kind of situation where you're...not okay," he tells her carefully, "you can tell me."

"Why do you care?" she asks after a moment, looking at him with genuine confusion and reserved curiosity.

He nearly laughs at that. Wasn't it obvious? "Because you don't," he replies.

Daisy goes quiet after this. He continues to gently dab the gauze against her cheek. He thinks he hits a sensitive area because she hisses out and grabs his upper leg. He goes a little stiff at that, trying to not let it affect him.

_ Keep it together, Danny Boy. _

She blinks, taking her hand off of his leg quickly. "Sorry," she says sheepishly, but still stares at his leg. Mainly, his prosthetic leg. She asks bluntly, "How'd you lose your leg?"

Daniel pauses his actions, a little surprised by the question. He's so used to people walking around eggshells about the subject.

Daisy misunderstands his shock and blushes, looking away. "Sorry, I didn't mean — "

"It's okay," he reassures quickly. "I'm just not used to people asking about it. I, uh, lost it in the war. Got hit by shrapnel in Afghanistan. Cut the nerves too deep and, well. They couldn't save the leg."

"Oh," she says a little helplessly. "And you joined the army, because — "

"To get a free education, actually," Daniel says with a smile. "Never saw myself becoming an army man, but I grew up poor and I wanted a degree."

"Huh." She smiles a little and he resumes in cleaning up the gash on her face.

"Met Peggy, then the Starks, then Captain America," he explains lightly, but then the smile wipes off her face. She doesn't look sad, exactly, but her frown is one of deep thought.

"So, you joined S.H.I.E.L.D. after it started," she states more than asks. He nods anyway, to confirm. "Did you know Captain America before he was a super?"

Daniel blinks slowly at her wording. "You mean before he came out as a super?" he questions uneasily.

"Yeah, that," she shrugs.

Was it possible she knew?

The serum was S.H.I.E.L.D's best-kept secret. Captain America was created in a lab as an ideal super. Steve Rogers was chosen for his heart, his morals. He truly believed in his country, in the protection of supers.

Stark's serum worked perfectly. Almost too perfectly. They destroyed all traces of the serum and its research, for fear that it would get into anyone else's hands.

Daniel knows that Steve doesn't regret his choices, but he can see that the secret of it kills him sometimes.

There should be no way that a low-level I.T. specialist could know that, but Daisy has managed to surprise him in ways he didn't expect before.

"No, I didn't," Daniel answers finally. "I met him as Captain America, and only knew him as that for a while."

Daisy doesn't say anything else after that, so he uses the opportunity to ask about her. "How about you? How'd you join S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Coulson recruited me," she answers vaguely.

Daniel sighs at the lack of an actual answer. This is going to be plaguing him for ages, he just knows it.

But after a minute, she adds quietly, "Uh, my mom died. I was an asset for a while, just trying to avoid being locked up, you know? Then a lot of shit happened and...Coulson was there for me."

This partly confuses Daniel even more, — Mom? Wasn't she an orphan? And Melinda May, Coulson's long-time partner, is still alive. — but he's grateful for an answer nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," he settles for.

"No reason to be sorry, Sousa," she says.

His lips quirk up a little. "You can call me Daniel," he tells her gently.

They look at each other for a minute, her large eyes peering up at him. His hand is on her arm, from where he unconsciously grabbed to hold her steady as he cleaned her face, while she leaned into him. He blinks at their closeness, shifting a tiny bit to be a more appropriate distance away now that the wound on her face looks properly disinfected.

"Can I ask you something?" Daisy prompts quickly.

"Of course."

"If the Ghost Rider were to turn himself in, wanting to help us with the Watchdog situation, what would you do?" she asks slowly, hesitantly.

Daniel chuckles a little at that. "I'd throw him into a containment cell and let him tell us what we need to know from there."

Daisy frowns. "But what if he has a good reason — "

"A good reason for killing people? Sure, maybe the Watchdogs deserve it, but what about all the others?"

"Gangs, pedophiles, corruption — I've been looking the victims up," Daisy counters.

"That's what all the authorities are for," Daniel says a little impatiently. "What's this coming from, anyway? Why do you suddenly care about what becomes of the Ghost Rider?"

Her mouth opens slightly. "I just... Daniel, please. Just...consider it."

And Daniel doesn't know exactly what he's supposed to be considering, but when she says his name like that, like pure sugar and honey, he can't help but tell her, "Okay."

Her mouth opens, as if she's about to say something else, before she catches view of something behind him and her jaw opens in a little bit of shock.

Daniel turns around to see what she's staring at and finds himself face-to-face with Robbie Reyes.

"I've come to turn myself in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. That was an onslaught of information and backstory, huh? What do y'all make of all this?
> 
> Next time: Protective!Daniel, Daisy has some things to deal with, and PAIN. Because of course.


	9. it was all in doubt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy would be relieved that he's here — this is what she wanted from him — but the haunted look on his face tells her that his reasons for doing this are deeper than that.
> 
> "The Watchdogs are here," Robbie says gravely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This, right here, is the absolute closest to love-triangle drama we'll ever approach in this fic. And honestly, it's barely love-triangle related. But it's filled with suspense and action, so yay!
> 
> Also, I didn't get the chance to read this one thoroughly ahead of posting it, so... If there are any weird typos, I was never here.

As promised, Daisy had shown up at Robbie's place first thing in the morning to help him tell Gabe the truth.

Robbie's approach to the conversation was smart. He didn't outright say what he was from the start. He built it up from the car crash, to his death, to who saved him.

Another Ghost Rider.

Daisy had listened to the explanation with deep interest, not having heard it before. This was all new to her, too. If it weren't for her presence, Gabe would have wheeled himself out of the house at lightning speeds the second he realized what Robbie was telling him. Instead, she reassured him, despite her own doubts.

Gabe had also pushed Robbie to turn himself into S.H.I.E.L.D.

And now Robbie was here, standing in front of her and Daniel Sousa, offering himself.

This wasn't the plan. He was going to stay private until he settled the Watchdogs, and Daisy begrudgingly agreed to it. He knew her secret too. It was a mutually assured destruction, bringing him in by force.

Daisy would be relieved that he's here — this is what she wanted from him — but the haunted look on his face tells her that his reasons for doing this are deeper than that.

"The Watchdogs are here," Robbie says gravely.

The two agents blink slowly. "Are you...turning yourself in as a Watchdog?" Sousa asks with a confused wrinkle of his brow.

"That's not it," she whispers in reply. "Robbie, are you sure — "

"I'm not a Watchdog," Robbie replies smoothly. "I'm the Ghost Rider."

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel doesn't really know what the hell is going on.

_ Robbie  _ is the Ghost Rider?

_ Daisy's boyfriend is the Ghost Rider? _

His eyes look for hers for confirmation. Even though she tries to dodge his stare, he finds her gaze and holds it. Her eyes close and she nods shortly.

Her boyfriend's the Ghost Rider.

Daniel's hand immediately reaches for his holster and he pulls the gun out. Robbie doesn't even flinch. In fact, he raises an eyebrow. "That's not going to work on me," he says simply, almost seeming smug.

Daniel hesitates before lowering his weapon. "Then what will?"

"Nothing," Daisy interjects. "He's walked away from a hole in his chest." Daniel looks at her bewildered, and she immediately adds, "That's what I've heard, anyway."

"She's right," Robbie says. "I can heal from anything. Even Fitz's containment module wouldn't be able to keep me in. The only way I can be brought in is if I let you."

"And he's letting you," Daisy clarifies. "Right now. For some reason. The Watchdogs?"

"They're in S.H.I.E.L.D," Robbie says.

Daniel rolls his eyes the tiniest bit. "I get it."

"No," Robbie responds sternly, narrowing his eyes. "Not the spies you're looking for. I mean they've broken into your base — or are about to. They're getting ready to strike."

"Shit," Daisy whispers out, voicing the sentiments that Daniel is feeling.

How had they gotten in? How did the Ghost Rider find out?

"Where's Cap? Mack?" Daisy asks Daniel.

He shakes his head lightly. "Mack's supposed to be here any minute. Cap's at the lab with Agent Simmons."

"That's where they'll go first," Robbie nods. "They're after the serum."

The serum.

So, Daisy did know, when she was asking him about all that Captain America stuff. She knew he wasn't born a super.

"Did you tell him about the serum?" Daniel asks quietly.

Daisy shakes her head and Sousa nearly bursts a blood vessel. The Ghost Rider must've told her, instead of the other way around. "How do  _ you _ know?"

"You can change a person's biology, but you can't change their soul," Robbie says cryptically as he starts heading out of the room.

"Hey, hold it!" Daniel calls out, getting ready to lift his gun again. "You're not going anywhere."

Robbie rounds on him, snarling a little. "We've already covered that you can't contain me or subdue me. I'm trying to help here. Do you really want to waste time on this?"

Daniel's about to fire off a quick retort about how he's a serial killer who deserves to face the consequences, but Daisy's hand grazes against his wrist, her fingertips tickling the inner side of his palm. The touch is feather light, but it soothes him. "Don't," she whispers. "We need him."

He wonders, with a bit of a sinking feeling, how long she's been keeping this from him. She obviously knew before the Ghost Rider turned himself in, but he can't see why she would've from the start. She was working harder than anyone else to find him; it simply didn't make sense.

He thinks back to the day before, when she came in sporting a nasty bruise on her neck and a solemn expression, claiming that she and Robbie were not talking. He has another burst of anger blooming in his chest as he wonders if that was when she found out.

But the touch of her fingers against his keeps him grounded.

"Fine," Daniel huffs out, "but we're doing this my way. We'll all go — "

"No," Daisy interrupts quickly. "Stay here and wait for Mack. I'll go find Jemma and Cap." Daniel opens his mouth, but before he can even say anything, Daisy explains, "Look, you obviously aren't going to trust Robbie alone, and I know the way to the labs probably better than anyone because I'm always sneaking off to see Jemma and Fitz. I'll be back in no time."

Daniel hesitates. "What if the Watchdogs find you?"

"I'll handle it," she says simply.

It's not that he doubts her capabilities. He read all about the Calvary, who is basically her adopted mother. He knows that she likely has the training to defend herself. But there's still safety in numbers.

"We good?" she asks and both the men nod their heads.

And with one last look, Daisy heads out of the room.

"That girl..." Robbie mutters with a shake of his head.

Daniel scowls. He opens his mouth but —

"We expanding the team?" Mack asks casually as he strolls in, unaware of all the chaos.

"Nah, man," Robbie replies, almost regretfully.

"He's the Ghost Rider," Daniel supplies dully.

Mack blinks, raising an eyebrow. He looks at Robbie, who stares pointedly at the floor with a small shrug. "Damn, that Charger," Mack says. "Should've seen it earlier."

"And, supposedly, the base is about to be under attack by Watchdogs," Daniel continues, letting the doubt drip off of his tone. Truthfully, he can't see a reason that Robbie would give himself up just for a ruse such as this, but he doesn't trust the guy, so the doubt lingers.

"Shit," Mack says. "I knew something was off."

Daniel perks up just the tiniest bit. Were the Watchdogs already inside? "What'd you see?" he prompts Mack.

"People by the door were acting shifty. I didn't recognize them, tried to shoo them away from the area. But would the Watchdogs really out themselves like this?"

"Not if they're not agents," Daniel points out. "If they make it seem like an outside attack, no one would blink an eye."

"They'd need inside help, though," Robbie speaks up. "There's an agent who has to let them in."

Daniel's had just about enough of these riddles. "Who is it, then? You going to tell us that much?"

"I'll know when I see him," he replies darkly, his eyes flashing with fire.

"Cool down, there, hothead," Mack whistles lowly.

"So, I'm just supposed to trust you, huh? Daisy could be in danger," Daniel retorts cooly.

"Daisy can take care of herself," Robbie is quick to reply. "And besides, if either one should be that worried about her wellbeing, it should be me."

Angrily, Daniel shoots, "It's not like you've cared about her wellbeing in the past."

Robbie turns around, his eyes narrowing and his breath shortening. "Keep talking and I won't be able to stop the other guy from beating you to a pulp."

"The 'other guy'?" Daniel barks out. "What are you, the Hulk?"

"You can ask Daisy for the details, I'm not going to explain myself to you," Robbie says hotly, "just because you think you've got it all figured out."

"Hey, calm down now!" Mack yells, trying to get between them.

"I'm not going to calm down!" Daniel replies, his voice rising a little. "Daisy's come in with new bruises for the past two days — and she herself said it was because of  _ him. _ I'm not going to calm down!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Robbie growls as his skin starts bubbling orange, his eyes lighting aflame.

"Oh, brother," Mack sighs as he watches the man be consumed with fire, swirling into an inferno. Daniel panics just a little — maybe he pushed too far. The Ghost Rider comes at him, throwing him across the room. His cane clutters beside him as he groans, but he barely has a chance to process his predicament before the Ghost Rider grabs him by the collar and lifts him against the wall.

"Robbie!" Mack yells loudly.

The Ghost Rider stares at Daniel as he's pushed up on the wall, his face scrunched with pain. Then, suddenly, he lets go, letting Daniel crumple onto the floor, the fire dimming.

"What the hell is going on here?" Daisy yells out as she comes into view of the room, Jemma, Fitz, Captain America, and one other S.H.I.E.L.D. agent following close at her heels.

Daniel rubs the back of his hand against his bruised mouth, his jaw going slack from the tense muscles.

"Your boyfriend almost turned the Chief into Sunday's roast," Mack fills her in lightly, his voice filled with disbelief and utter irritation. Just another day at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Daisy bends down to check if Daniel is alright. "I'm fine," he tells her, shoving her hands away from his face gently and pushing himself back up. She hands him his cane, which he takes.

She looks at Robbie, who is now back to his normal self, looking down at the scene with a blank expression. "The hell were you thinking?" she demands.

Robbie shrugs. "The Rider got mad before I could do anything. It didn't like that he insinuated that I would..."

Her eyes widen suddenly, her mouth forming a small 'o'. She bites her lip as she sighs.

Daisy approaches Daniel slowly. She places a hand on his arm and it feels warm, pleasant. He thinks he might be able to get used to this. "I know what you think, but Robbie would never hurt me. And the Ghost Rider respects that. He'd never do any serious damage."

He looks at the red line on her face that he had patched up only just an hour ago and the anger bubbles back up in his chest. "He hit you — "

She interrupts, "The Ghost Rider incapacitated me while I was his temporary enemy, yes. Look, he isn't perfect, but I trust him. And I need you to trust that I can take care of myself."

Daniel looks down, ashamed, because he does trust that. In the short time that he's known her, Daisy has always been fully capable, even if she wasn't the best at sneaking around. She continued to surprise and impress him around every turn, providing him with more evidence against the Watchdog influence in one week than he had produced in multiple years.

Daisy takes his silence as an agreement to her terms, so she moves onto Robbie with a stern expression. "Don't think you're off the hook either," she tells him cooly. "There's only so much we can help you if you can't keep that demon inside you in check."

Robbie stares her down for a moment before giving her a curt nod. "You know, for the record," he starts slowly, "It wouldn't kill him. His soul's too pure."

He gives Daniel an unsettling look — one that seems like it could be one of approval.

But then, his eyes catch the newcomers to the room. It speeds past Captain America, then Jemma, to — 

"Him," he snarls as he points at the unnamed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Everyone turns to him as Robbie clarifies, "It's him."

"Will?" Jemma asks, a little incredulous. "What about him?"

Will Daniels, Daniel realizes, one of the foot soldiers for their tactical teams.

_ I'll know when I see him, _ Robbie had said earlier.

Well, then.

Daniel lifts his gun. Jemma yelps as Fitz pulls her away from him.

"Agent Daniels," he says loudly as Will lifts his hands up. "What is your affiliation with the Watchdogs?"

"You can't kill him," he can hear Daisy whisper harshly to Robbie nearby. "Tell that thing in you to settle the fuck down."

"Will isn't — Will wouldn't — " Jemma protests helplessly, before growing silent. Fitz holds onto her, rubbing her arms up and down in comfort. Then, a little brokenly, she says, "Oh God, that's why you came to visit me in the lab today. You knew I had an appointment with Captain America. Is that why you started seeing me at all?"

Daniel feels a little bad for the scientist, who's obviously been played.

"What happened?" Daniel asks Captain America.

"Was about to take the suit off when this lover boy," he nods at Will pointedly, "came in to say hi to his girlfriend."

"I didn't know — " Will tries protesting.

"You did!" Jemma cries out, Fitz holding her close before she could pounce.

Will's expression changes to something dark and twisted. He's been found out.

"You're too late, anyway," he says.

And the base goes dark.

The Ghost Rider comes to life, providing the only source of light in the room, but not before Will lunges, tackling Fitz to the ground.

"Jemma, we got to go!" Daisy yells, pulling Jemma away.

"Fitz," she protests desperately. "We can't go without Fitz!"

"It'll be okay," Daisy promises, "I'll come back for him. But we need to get you safe first!"

She succeeds in pulling Jemma out of the scene, mainly because Mack comes over to pick her up. Captain America rips Will off of Fitz, leaving him to scurry after Daisy and Jemma. Daniel tries to shoot, but his aim is off and he doesn't want to risk hitting someone else in the dim of the room. The Ghost Rider's glow isn't quite good enough.

Captain America and the Ghost Rider just barely manage to get him to the ground. Daniel swoops in with handcuffs, but Will snaps them off in a second.

_ Well, that's new. _

In the distance, he hears gunshots going off in rounds, and he hopes that Daisy and the others have found somewhere safe.

The gunshots, for some reason, begin to stop, and it quickly becomes apparent why.

He feels the earth quake and with a small smirk, he realizes that she's here.

Quake is here.

The question of how she knew to be here is pushed from his mind as he sees Will Daniels flying across the room.

"He's juiced up on something," Captain America calls to her as he catches his breath.

Quake keeps him pinned to the wall with her powers. "Can't do any damage if he can't move, huh?"

Daniel approaches Will. "What are you on?"

Will stays silent, so Quake presses, "All the buddies you let in are out cold. I can make it quick or I can make it painful. Your choice."

Daniel bites his tongue, not agreeing with Quake's methods. Captain America looks wearily as well as Will cries out, the bone in his finger snapping.

This isn't what S.H.I.E.L.D. does.

"I'll breaks every single bone in your body if you don't talk," she says harshly as she cracks another one of Will's fingers.

Just as Daniel is about to yell at her to stop, Will cries out, "It's some kind of serum! I don't know, it only works for an hour or so. They told me to take it and I did."

Quake smirks a little before letting Will go, letting his unconscious body to the floor.

"So, it's all about the serum, huh?" Captain America says quietly, looking at the body.

Robbie — who is Robbie, again — nods his head slowly. "It's part of their endgame."

Daniel walks over to Quake. "Daisy?" he asks, and Quake's glowing eyes widen, her mouth opening a little. "Is she safe?"

Quake stutters for a second before responding, "Yeah, she's fine. They're all fine."

He gives her a grateful nod.

  
  


-

  
  


Being near Sousa as Quake makes her uneasy.

She rarely worries about being figured out, but there's just something different about Sousa's perceptiveness that unnerves her. He looks at her with a kind of familiarity that she isn't used to while in her Quake form.

(She really thought her heart just about stopped when she thought he called her Daisy.)

Quake looks over to Captain America, who looks solemn and regretful.

"I guess I should tell you..." he starts sadly, but trails off.

"It doesn't make you any less of a super," Quake finalizes it for him, trying to spare him from the pain of his past. If anyone deserves to be a super, it's him. "You've got the heart for it. Who cares if the rest was made in a lab?"

His eyes widen and he looks at her with hope and awe. "You knew?"

Sousa's got his eyes on her too, which makes her shift uncomfortably. He knows that Daisy knows. She can't let him connect too many pieces of the puzzle. She gave him too much unknowingly about Skye, and she got caught.

Quake can't let that happen.

Thankfully, Robbie steps in. "Shockley told us last month." Everyone knows that Shockley was a top member of the Watchdogs, until his untimely demise at the Ghost Rider's hands.

This seems to be enough for Sousa, because his focus shifts from Quake and back to Captain America. "Pierce — "

"I think it's time I join Peggy in D.C," Captain America interrupts. "You're going to need to file a report, and it'd make sense I'd want to stay away from this for now. Peggy and I will work on the case from there, keep close to Pierce."

Sousa doesn't object, and neither does Quake.

So, it's decided, then.

"Quake," he calls out and she looks up. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She nods and Cap leads her to the side room, where they know that they won't be overheard.

"I meant what I said," Quake tells him. "I mean, I only found out last night. But you're a super in all the ways that mattered."

He gives her a small, appreciative small but shakes his head fondly. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, actually."

She looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything," Captain America starts, and she feels a morality lecture coming her way, "but you shouldn't keep Daniel in the dark. He deserves to know."

"I can't," Quake whispers, hugging herself with her arms. She doesn't say anything else, but he seems to understand exactly why she feels that way.

"He cares about you," Cap tells her. "He'd understand."

She only wishes she had the courage.

  
  


-

  
  


After it all, after they round up the unconscious Watchdogs and say their goodbyes to Captain America, and even after they agree (hesitantly, on Sousa's part) to let Robbie roam free as long as he works with S.H.I.E.L.D. when requested, Daisy plops on the couch next to Sousa.

"Well, that's been a day," she moans out.

"Yeah," he agrees heavily. "You okay?"

"Just peachy," she grumbles and Sousa laughs. "What?"

"And here I thought I was the only one who said that," Sousa chuckles out and Daisy can't help but smile a little bit. The laugh fades and he looks at her with a bit of concern. "So, you and Robbie..."

"Oh, that's dead," Daisy confirms. "We talked it through. Just...too many lies. I think he'll take some time to get over it, but we'll work fine together, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not why I was asking, but I'm glad you're doing fine with it," Sousa tells her. "You didn't deserve him lying to you about all that."

Daisy's heart pangs, because she lives a lie every day. Robbie wasn't the only problem of their relationship — she had kept her secrets too. Less murdery, burning-people-in-an-inferno-of-sin type secrets, but one that was similar enough.

It's the same secret she keeps from almost all her friends, even if that list is dwindling as more and more people find out.

As Sousa gives her a warm smile, she can't help but feel like a fraud in this relationship too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL ABOARD THE DOUSY TRAIN!
> 
> We're halfway through this fic now, so see this as a "midseason finale" of sorts.
> 
> Next time: We see a time jump. Some relationships grow closer together, some further apart. Prepare for YEARNING. A certain sibling gets thrown into the mix.
> 
> (I think we all know who I'm talking about.)


	10. i want your heart to beat for me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new super in New York and Daisy immediately recognizes her.
> 
> Kora.
> 
> Kora hadn't had powers when Daisy had last seen her, but she was only twenty-one at the time. She was still young. Yet, somehow, Daisy sees the bursts of energy and she just knows.
> 
> Starburst is her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for some tooth-aching fluff in this chapter. Also, note the small time jump. It's been about a month.

Daisy's powers manifested when she was twenty-five years old.

That's a pretty typical age, for most supers. Some developed earlier, and others, much later.

It was right around when she found her biological family. She was confused and scared, trying her best to hide it from everyone. Jiaying had found her and helped her. She was able to successfully keep the powers from Coulson and May, and she had finally found her birth parents.

(As it turns out, her mother had been whisked away of S.H.I.E.L.D. for being a "dangerous super". She had been experimented on by a rogue operation of scientists until Howard Stark had found them out and promptly ended the program. By the time she was cleared and released, her baby had been lost in the foster system. Heartbroken, her and Cal had split up and she soon after had Kora.

It took a while for Daisy to forgive S.H.I.E.L.D, but later, she found that Jiaying and Cal weren't all as they seemed. While she didn't doubt they were loving parents, she understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. just thought they were doing the right thing.)

For just a little while, she had a family. She had a mom and a sister, and soon after, a dad. Cal wasn't really in Jiaying's life anymore at that point, but he had come running after finding out that his long-lost daughter was back.

It didn't last very long.

She and Kora had come home to see Jiaying's body cradled in Cal's arms. He had been arrested and convicted. He didn't fight it, he didn't speak anything at all.

Except for seven little words to Daisy, at the scene of the crime.

"I'm going to kill whoever did this," Cal had said as he saw Daisy, his voice filled with loathing and emotion.

Kora had blamed Daisy, and Daisy had blamed herself. Kora and Jiaying had been inseparable, and then Daisy came and ruined it all. She doesn't believe that Cal did it, but whatever had happened, it likely wouldn't have if she never came into the picture.

Her mother was dead, her father was in jail, and her sister wasn't talking to her.

Daisy had gone back to Coulson and May and they picked up the pieces of her shattered heart. She threw herself into her work and went from a consultant to a full-time agent. It didn't take long for her to get assigned to the Los Angeles base.

All in the meanwhile, she had channeled Jiaying's teachings and became the super vigilante known as Quake. She kept it all a secret — first, because she knew where that had gotten Jiaying, and second, because she couldn't stand the thought of Coulson and May realizing that she had been lying to them.

She never looked back. She never thought she would have to.

Until now.

There's a new super in New York and Daisy immediately recognizes her.

_ Kora. _

Kora hadn't had powers when Daisy had last seen her, but she was only twenty-one at the time. She was still young. Yet, somehow, Daisy sees the bursts of energy and she just  _ knows. _

Starburst is her sister.

(Daniel, as usual, had immediately laughed when the name had reached the headlines. "Starburst?" he chuckled. "That's worse than Quake!"

"I mean, I wouldn't make fun of the people who could beat your ass," Daisy commented lightly.

"Of course the Quake fan would say that," Daniel says with a touch of amusement.)

Daisy also now regularly updates her very own Quake blog, so, yeah. That's a thing. She knows it's probably the only blog that Daniel — she's not entirely sure when he became  _ Daniel _ to her — actually reads. Which —  _ goddamn it _ — means that she actually needs to update it.

("He doesn't even have Facebook!" Daisy moaned one night. "Who doesn't have Facebook?"

"You don't," Jemma pointed out unhelpfully.

"Yeah, because I'm not an old person.")

Somewhere along the way, they've become rather close.

Ever since the Robbie incident, Daniel had been there for her, through the thick and thin. They met in the lobby in the mornings, he'd bring her coffee (the job has been stolen from Fitz, but he doesn't mind, because he's been glued to Jemma's side even more than normal now), and they'd often hang out after work. He's even walked her home — FitzSimmons's apartment, now that her van is gone — on more than one occasion.

("Say what you will about the Chief," Jemma comments with a suggestive tone, "at least he doesn't know chivalry is dead.")

"Jemma, I'm serious," Daisy whines one morning, after Jemma had gone on an analytical rant about Daniel and Daisy's relationship. "He is not in love with me."

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Jemma cries out.

Yes, Daisy has. She thinks fighting Jemma on this is pointless, because she's not blind, but the truth of the matter is, it could never work out. After Robbie, the proposition of having a relationship with anyone seems precarious. She can't risk Quake getting in between them.

Then again, every once in a while, she lets her mind wander.

Daniel hasn't been investigating Quake for a while. His focus has been elsewhere. Even in the couple of instances they crossed paths, he's let her go. Maybe he's finally let the idea of Quake go. Maybe Daisy has nothing to worry about.

He's a dork, but he's adorably sweet. He seems to crave touch, his hands always finding themselves caressing her body gently, in an appropriate manner.

Daisy's dreamed about his warm body around hers on more than one occasion, wanting his touch to be a lot less appropriate. She finds herself staring at him when he's concentrated on his work, his teeth nibbling gently on his pens. She thinks about what it would be like to have them nibbling on her —

"Daisy?" Jemma probes.

Daisy blinks out of her daydream. "Yeah?"

"Your phone's been ringing," she points out.

Daisy groans and picks up her phone. She has a few texts from an unsaved number.

_ It's Kora. _

_ You miss me? _

_ Let's talk. _

Well, shit.

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel thinks he might be falling in love with Daisy Johnson.

He thought he'd never get over Peggy Carter, but every time he looks at Daisy, he feels the empty void in his heart fill up more and more.

And he knows better. He knows that this relationship will lead nowhere, that she's not interested in him in that way, but he can't help but care for her. He wants to be there for her, simply because she isn't there for herself. She works harder than just about anyone else he's ever met, constantly pushing herself. He's seen her fall asleep in their little corner of S.H.I.E.L.D, investigating the Watchdogs.

(One night, Daniel had come in late to double check something, only to hear the light snores of the young hacker. He debated waking her up, but based on the dark circles under her eyes, she hadn't gotten all that much sleep recently.

Instead, he pulled a blanket over Daisy's sleeping form and pressed a kiss to her brow as she sighed in contentment.)

After that, he insisted on staying by her side, especially when it was getting late, just to make sure that she was going home to sleep on a real bed. (Or couch, but he was assured it was a comfy couch.)

Today, she comes in in a mood, shooting off quick quips to everyone nearby who mildly annoys her. Daniel immediately can see that she's anxious about something.

"What is it?" he asks immediately.

Daisy grimaces. "My sister wants to talk." The confusion must be visible on Daniel's face, because she adds, "Look, I know you're my boss and all, but can we just... Get out of here? I don't know, I can't — I just — "

And normally, Daniel would offer to talk later, but he can see the agony and mild panic in her eyes, so, he replies, "Yes. Let's go."

Daisy gives him a small smile as her eyes widen. Daniel nods at her to lead the way, and together, they leave the base. He realizes with a start that he's essentially ditching work for a girl, and as soon as he hands Daisy his car keys and hops into the car, sends a text over to Mack that the two of them will be out for the day.

(He knows he probably should've called, because he  _ never _ texts, and Mack just might assume that he's been kidnapped or something.)

_ How does it feel being back in high school? _ Mack replies quickly. Daniel looks down at the phone in confusion. The next message comes through soon enough,  _ Ditching for a girl. I hope it's worth it. _

A blush rises to Daniel's cheeks as he realizes Mack's implications — he would never ditch just to  _ frolick. _ But he sees the tears welling up in Daisy's eyes, even if she won't let them spill, and decides that it is definitely worth it.

Daisy drives him to a park. He follows her to a tree, where she plops down and pats the spot by her.

"I've never taken anyone else here," Daisy says quietly as he sits. "I mean, after Lincoln..."

Daniel's heard the name before, but never from her. He's heard it from FitzSimmons, who both have talked about him with sadness and pity. He's heard it from Mack, who talked about Daisy's ex in passing, but a worried expression flashed across his face while at it. And he's even heard it from Robbie. From the implications, Daniel's gathered that in some way, this Lincoln has broken her spirit. Her compassion. Her love.

"It's beautiful," Daniel comments, not sure what else to say.

"I don't miss him anymore," she tells him suddenly, "but I still find myself coming here when I'm upset. I just..."

"Sometimes the familiar helps us," Daniel fills in, knowing the feeling.

Daisy nods and then looks down, and a peaceful silence overcomes them. After a little while, she says, "My sister is coming to L.A. soon. She wants to talk. I just...don't know."

Yes, she mentioned that earlier. But, truthfully, Daniel didn't even know she had a sister. He's managed to gather over their month as friends that her mother was dead, in some gruesome way, and her father was... Well, he isn't sure about her father, but he's not in the picture anymore either.

"Did Mack say anything about what happened with her and I?" Daisy asked after sensing his confusion. He shakes his head and she sighs. "Yeah, well, things got really bad, and it... It's a long story. But it came to an end."

Daniel moves to a better position in front of her. "You should talk to her."

"No, I shouldn't. She..." Daisy trails off, her eyes looking away from his, and quietly, she continues, "She blames me for our mom dying."

Daniel blinks, unsure of what to say in response to that. "Whatever happened," he starts slowly, "I'm sure — "

"She's right," Daisy says bitterly. "I got in the mess of things. I brought him back into her life. He was a monster — we all knew what he had done — and I still let him in. And he killed her."

His heart breaks for the girl in front of him. Everything begins to click together.

"Daisy," he says confidently and she looks into his eyes. He takes her hands in his. "It isn't your fault. You can't control other people's actions."

"But if I hadn't — "

"We could live every day asking ourselves that," Daniel points out firmly.

"But my sister — "

"It's up to you if you want to see her again," he interrupts quickly. "But maybe there's a chance that she's realized that too. Would she want to talk if she didn't want to form some kind of relationship?" Daisy looks down, so Daniel continues, "Point is, you got a rare opportunity here. I got a list of people long gone by now I'd... I'd do anything to have one last stolen moment with."

"I don't know..." Daisy whispers, unsure.

"I'll be your chaperone," Daniel cuts in. "How about that? You need me to bail you out, I'll be right there."

"You really are a square, aren't you?" Daisy asks, her eyes lighting up with a hint of amusement.

"Harsh, but," he nods lightly, "yes."

Then, she kisses him.

It's only on the cheek, but Daniel still finds his mind going blissfully numb at the feel of her lips on his skin, with her hands still in his. When she pulls away, her face lingers near his, and they're just a breath's width apart. If he leaned in just a fraction, his lips would be on hers, and he debates it for a minute. His eyes flicker up to look at hers to see she's looking down at his lips, and he wonders if she's debating the same thing.

Daisy clears her throat and sits back on her knees, avoiding his gaze. Her hands leave his, leaving them cold as they're exposed to the cool air. "Thank you," she whispers. "But I think I need to do this on my own."

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy sits in the diner, alone, as she waits for Kora. She taps her fingers nervously against the table as she sees another news reel about the new super in New York, now in Los Angeles.

She feels silly for telling Daniel, despite the words of wisdom he shared. She knows she should pull away from him, give him less to work on. She knows that Jemma, the literal genius, had never pieced it together, so she should be safe, but she has a sinking feeling that every word she says to Daniel, the closer he is to finding out about Quake.

And she almost fucking  _ kissed _ him.

It wasn't a "I wanna bone" kind of feeling, or even a "you're hot, I'm hot" kind. She genuinely wanted to kiss him, because he was there for her. He's been there for her in a way that no one has, and she thinks she might actually  _ like _ him.

The bile rises to her throat as she remembers that it couldn't ever happen. It just couldn't.

Could it?

How bad would it be if he knew the truth?

She remembers Captain America's words. They repeat in her head like a mantra every time she sees Daniel.

_ He cares about you. He'd understand. _

Would he?

Would he understand, support her, continue to care about her? Or would he feel the weight of her betrayal, slapping the super restraints on her wrist as he looked at her with disappointment.

Daisy knows in her heart that it's the latter. Or, if not exactly that, he would still ultimately choose S.H.I.E.L.D. before her, because that's his life. She's just some girl he just met, even if it feels like they've known each other for eternity.

Before Daisy can dwell on it any further, Kora sits across from her.

"Hi," she says with a hesitant smile. It's a good sign. An olive branch.

"Hey," Daisy replies. "How've you been?"

"I'm sorry," Kora says suddenly. "I'm sorry for all of it. I shouldn't have put that on you."

Daisy blinks, shocked. Sure, Daniel had mentioned this possibility to her, but she hadn't really considered it.

"I'm sorry, too," Daisy replies slowly after she processes her words.

"I was just...so angry," Kora explains, her voice thick and emotional. "It had been just me and Mom for so long and then suddenly I had a sister and then a step-dad... I started blaming you for ruining my life long before she died."

Daisy's mouth dries up at the revelation. "I thought...I thought you were happy."

Her and Kora had become, for lack of a better word,  _ sisters. _ They were overjoyed to find out they had a sibling. Their bond grew quickly, and for a little bit, they were each other's best friends.

Until it all came crashing down.

(Daisy had fallen to the ground in horror at the sight of Jiaying's broken body in Cal's arms. She stared and stared, until the police had dragged her father away in handcuffs. Her hand delicately brushed her mother's hair away as Kora had begged her to heal.

It was no use. Her spine had been shattered irreparably.)

"I thought I was," Kora replies sadly. "But I think, deep down, I was always feeling a little resentful. Suddenly, I wasn't Mom's whole world."

And even though Daisy's surprised that Kora has admitted this, she can't say she's entirely shocked that she felt that way. Daisy understood, in a messed up way, what it was like to find missing family.

Even though she felt that a void in her chest had been filled upon finding her birth parents, a small part of her did feel a deep pang of jealousy every time she saw Kora and Jiaying interacting. They were family. Daisy had been torn away from her mother, and her mother simply...moved on. Jiaying had gone to have Kora, and Kora got the loving and happy childhood that Daisy could only dream of.

"Why are you really here?" Daisy asks instead. She doubts that Kora would come just to apologize after so many years.

"I thought I just explained — "

Daisy levels Kora with an unimpressed look and she stops speaking.

"I just want to spend time together, to talk," Kora admits. "With you and me on the same page, we can do anything."

Daisy suddenly realizes what this is about. If she had recognized Starburst, there was no way that she didn't recognize Quake. Perhaps it was part of being a super — maybe you could always recognize family. "What, like a," Daisy lets out a small laugh, "like a sister superhero squad?"

Kora smirks at this a little. "Think about it. Quake and Starburst? We'd be unstoppable."

"Yeah, uh," Daisy interjects, "we're gonna have to find you a better name."

Kora frowns. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's awful," she teases. "Starburst."

"My boyfriend came up with it," Kora tells her, frowning even more. "He thought it was cute."

"Cute isn't wrong," Daisy says. "But that's not what a super alter ego name should be."

Kora begins to laugh lightly, and Daisy finds herself joining her. It feels good, to have a sister again.

"I'm still struggling with control," Kora admits. "You learned from Mom — I need a good teacher. And I want to help you take the Watchdogs down. I've been trying, in New York, but..."

"Okay," Daisy agrees. "Okay, I'm down."

"Really?" Kora's eyes light up, excitement building.

"There's a lot we have to discuss," Daisy starts rationally, "but first thing's first — no telling anyone about each other's identities. You got it?"

Kora bobs her head up and down quickly.

"And you need to turn yourself into S.H.I.E.L.D," Daisy continues, but before she can say anything else...

"No," Kora interrupts, voice hard.

"Kora — "

She shakes her head. "I thought you of all people wouldn't make me do this. S.H.I.E.L.D.  _ ruined _ our lives. I want to give them a chance. You believe in S.H.I.E.L.D. — there must be a reason why — but not with this. The infamous Quake is known for being a fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D."

Daisy sighs, realizing her request was unfair. How can she expect Kora to sign the Accords if she refuses to do so herself. "Okay," she compromises, "No S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No S.H.I.E.L.D," Kora confirms.

And with that, a new partnership is born.

Daisy goes back to the FitzSimmons apartment, feeling lighter than ever. A content smile just won't leave her face. She lets herself into the apartment to see —

"Daniel," she breathes. He looks up quickly as Jemma sends Daisy a pointed look as she hands him a cup of tea. "What are you doing here?"

"Agent Sousa here insisted on making sure you were okay," Jemma says, raising her eyebrows. Daniel blushes a little, drinking the tea.

Daisy sits next to him, biting her lip. "You didn't have to. I'm sure there were better things — "

"I'm where I need to be," Daniel tells her with a small smile. "So, I guess it went alright?"

"Yeah," she replies, letting her smile grow. "Yeah, it went well."

"Good," he says softly. He looks over at Jemma. "Thank you for letting me in, and for the tea."

"Of course," Jemma replies politely.

Daniel stands, and Daisy stands with him. "Goodnight," he tells her.

"Goodnight," she replies.

He lets himself out of the apartment, glancing back as he leaves, and Daisy lets herself fall a little further for Daniel Sousa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THINGS ARE PROGRESSING QUICKLY. And Kora is here!
> 
> Next time: Things progress even more quickly. They get a nice moment of peace before it all goes to hell.
> 
> Also, I'll be posting it tomorrow because I'm impatient and some interesting things happen.


	11. i'll never forget what you looked like on that night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you okay?" Daniel asks Daisy quietly in the elevator as they head up.
> 
> It takes a minute for her to reply, "I will be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I simply couldn't resist posting this chapter a day early, for reasons that will make themselves clear by the time you finish this chapter. Have fun.
> 
> Note the rating change, but it's more for future chapters.
> 
> TW: Mentions of suicide.

A week after reuniting with her sister, Quake finds herself taking down Watchdogs with the new super in the early hours of the morning.

Her powers are explosive — quite literally — and strangely familiar. Not in the way that she's seen it on the news, but something different. Something she's encountered before, but can't place her finger on.

Quake grimaces as she walks up to an unconscious Watchdog with a large burn mark on his face. "Better," she reasons, as last time, Kora had left someone permanently disfigured, "but still needs work."

"He'll be fine," Starburst brushes off. "He'll just have to live with a bit of scarring."

"That's not the point," Quake replies sternly. "We're supposed to be better than them. That means turning them in unscathed."

"What happened to the Quake that was destroying bridges to stop just a couple Watchdogs?" Starburst teases.

Quake looks down. "That was a darker time," she admits slowly.

Starburst frowns. "Right," she says with a sigh. "Electric."

Kora had known Lincoln, back in the day. He was one of the supers that Jiaying had brought in and cared for when he was at his lowest. They had been good friends, until he left with Daisy, taking her side in the whole Cal debate.

She was still sad when she learned the news of his death.

Daisy has noticed that Kora has avoided the topic of Cal since she's been back. And honestly, to this day, Daisy doesn't really know what to believe. There was never any evidence that anyone else had been near the scene of the crime, and definitely not anyone that had known what it would take to kill Jiaying.

There was something off about the whole situation, about Cal's final words before he essentially went catatonic, but whatever it had been, Daisy had not figured it out in time. Eventually, she accepted that perhaps, he _had_ done it.

Starburst pulls her mask off after they reach the secluded area of Kora's hotel room. Quake reaches for her temple and presses, letting the mask fall away.

(After the Ghost Rider had managed to push her mask off, Fitz had made some adjustments. Now, her mask — and the nanotech armor — could only be removed by her DNA say-so, preventing any unwanted reveals.)

"I should call Nathaniel," Kora muses, as she pulls out her phone. "I haven't in a few days; he's probably getting worried."

Daisy scowls inwardly at the name. Nathaniel Malick.

She's done thorough research on her sister since her return, and she immediately became suspicious of her boyfriend. The Malicks are well-known criminals and Daisy doesn't trust the slimy weasel one bit.

But, until she finds something concrete, she holds her tongue. Kora seems to really love him, and she doesn't want to ruin their newfound sistership once again because she gets a bad vibe.

"You do that," she sighs as Kora presses the dial key. "I gotta head into work, 'kay?"

Kora gives her a quick wave as Daisy heads out the door.

  
  


-

  
  


The Watchdog-investigation team is still going strong, despite Steve's departure over a month ago. FitzSimmons are now a part of the team, coming in when their main lab work is done to help look over files and investigate the more science bits of the Watchdog tech that Robbie turns in.

And Robbie's stopped killing people, which is good. Daniel feels relieved that he's managed to tame the demon inside of him, because he really can't have anyone find out that the Ghost Rider is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. while still being a serial killer.

Those three don't come in very often, though, especially Robbie. So, most days, it's just Mack, Daisy, and Daniel, working together in the small room, gathering as much evidence as they can get their hands on.

Daniel likes to think they make an excellent team.

Daisy's phone rings right before the end of the day and she's quick to grab it to take a look.

"It's Coulson," she announces. "I'll be right back."

There's a large silence after Daisy leaves the room.

It takes a minute before Mack breaks the silence to ask, "What are your intentions?"

Daniel looks over. "What?"

"With Daisy," he clarifies. Which didn't clear things up a bit, actually.

"I, don't," he awkwardly tries to say, "have any intentions..."

Mack looks up at him quickly, bewildered. Daniel shies a little under his intense gaze.

"Well, you better get some," Mack insists, "and quick. 'Cause this thing is coming for you."

Daniel is now more confused than ever.

"This...thing?"

Mack sighs. "She's into you."

Oh.

_Oh_.

Daniel suddenly understands.

Daisy's into him?

"And I'm not even sure if she knows it, yet," Mack continues, "but pretty soon, she'll figure it out, and when she does... Watch out, because when she gets something into her head — "

"She won't stop," Daniel finishes. "Yeah, I noticed."

A part of him hopes that Mack is right. He feels elated at the possibilities of things working out between him and Daisy, because he hasn't felt this way about anyone since Peggy. And, if he's honest with himself, maybe not even then. The connection he feels with Daisy is new, fresh, and all-in-all simply just meant to be.

"But listen," Mack says seriously, "she's been hurt. Bad."

Daniel knows, even though he's still unsure about the details. Even though the reunion with her sister seemed to take some weight off of her shoulders, something is still weighing her down. FitzSimmons still tread delicately about certain subjects, especially about their own slowly blossoming relationship.

(Which, it seems like they're trying to keep to themselves, but are doing a very bad job at it. And Daisy _lives_ with them. Daniel can't imagine the chaos there.)

"So, I'm happy she's ready to dive back in, and I'm happy it's you — I like you. You seem like a good man."

Daniel is honored at that prospect. "Thanks, I — "

"Even if you are a little...you know..." Mack makes a motion with his hand. "Straight-ahead."

Daniel frowns. "Wait, is that bad?"

Mack ignores him. "But," he continued decisively, "I'm not about to let her get hurt again. You hear what I'm saying?"

"You know, you're pretty much threatening your boss," Daniel comments, laughing a little. The laughter catches in his throat as Mack gives him a dangerous look. "I hear you," Daniel quickly cuts in. "Loud and clear."

Mack continues to stare at him.

"I would never hurt her," Daniel finally says truthfully.

This seems to appease Mack because he leans back, giving a content hum.

The timing works out perfectly, because a minute later, Daisy returns.

Her mouth is pressed into a hard line when she comes back into the room. She quickly grabs her things.

"Daisy?" Daniel prompts. "What is it? What'd Coulson say?"

"My father — Cal — is dead," she says plainly as she heads out the door. He and Mack share a startled look.

Daniel runs after her as fast as he can. "Daisy!"

She keeps walking.

"Where are you going?" he calls out.

(He feels like he's running after her a lot. Usually in better, more positive contexts. Like trying to catch up with her to say good morning.

"Looking spry for an old guy," she'd tease often. He's pretty good with his prosthetic and cane, so he always appreciates when she'd notice his efforts.)

There's no happy comment this time, though. She stares straight ahead, walking briskly.

  
  


-

  
  


They walk for a little while, though she does slow down a little for him after he insisted that he wasn't leaving. She shouldn't be alone right now.

Of course, he'd leave if she meant it when she says that she wants to be alone. But she doesn't say it, so he remains.

They stop in front of the hotel that he knows as the hotel that her sister has been staying at — Daisy mentioned it in passing the other day.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asks Daisy quietly in the elevator as they head up.

It takes a minute for her to reply, "I will be."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks, knowing that she's about to talk to her sister. It feels a little personal. He wants to be there for her, but if she has her sister...

"No," she answers quickly. "I want you here."

The knock on the door is harsh and rude, but Kora answers with a bright expression. "Daisy — !"

"Did you know?" Daisy demands harshly.

Kora's smile fades. "Know what?"

"Cal's dead," she spits out. "The warden found him hanging in his cell last week."

Kora hesitates before answering, "Yes, I knew."

Daniel can clearly see that, for a second, Daisy's not even angry. She's just _sad._ "Is that why you came back?"

"No," Kora promises. "I mean, it made me rethink some things. But I'm here for _you._ That's it."

"How could you not tell me?" Daisy asks her desperately.

Kora side-eyes Daniel and he shifts a little uncomfortably. "Why'd you bring the S.H.I.E.L.D. guy here? Do you know — "

"Says the one who's dating Nathaniel Malick," she spats out. "Do you even know the kind of things the Malick's have done?"

Daniel knows the Malick's. He's pretty sure everyone does. Half the family got sentenced to prison a few years ago for conspiring to assassinate Captain America. That would've been fairly regular news, except for the fact that Wilfred Malick had been one of the government's top dogs for some years before his early retirement, and his son, Gideon, had a seat in the World Council.

Kora's face twists into something dangerous. "Nathaniel's not his family!" she protests. "He separated himself from the rest of them before the truth even came out. He testified at the court — he was the reason they got sentenced!"

It's true. He vaguely remembers a close family member standing up and providing all the evidence needed to lock them away for good.

"You're the one who said that I'm probably a psychopath because my biological father was one," Daisy snaps. "Apple doesn't grow far from the tree, and all that, huh?"

"You're just jealous that I'm happy!"

Daisy sputters and Kora turns to Daniel, which makes him instinctively take a step back.

"I'd watch out, if I were you," Kora sneers at Daniel. "She has an awful track record with boyfriends."

Daniel blinks, because, despite the intensity of the situation, he can't help but be slightly amused internally. He's met two of her boyfriends and neither of them turned out too great. Miles, who sold her out in seconds, and Robbie, who turned out to be the Ghost Rider.

"Shut up," Daisy seethes out at her sister, and the thought of amusement fades from Daniel's thoughts.

"You know, Mom loved Lincoln. She loved that you chose him, because he was the greatest guy. No one better for her precious daughter," Kora continued, her eyes flashing with something dangerous.

"I said, shut up!" Daisy yells out harshly.

"You've always had this trail of death following you. All those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who died for you — "

"They were protecting me!" she cries out and Daniel blinks. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had died protecting Daisy? When?

Kora laughs darkly. "What? From Mom? From _Cal?_ Maybe they wouldn't have gone after them if S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't cut Mom to pieces — "

Daniel is now officially confused.

"That wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D," Daisy replied quietly. "That was Whitehall."

"Whitehall?" Daniel asks, his head spinning around. "The crazy scientist that Howard arrested for super experiments?"

"Exactly!" Daisy confirms, exasperated.

Does that mean Daisy's mom is — 

"It doesn't matter," Kora says darkly. "Because it doesn't take away from the fact that everyone you care about dies. Mom, now your dad. I wasn't even surprised when I found out that Lincoln had killed himself — for you!"

Daisy stumbles back quickly, as if punched in the gut, as the earth shakes and Daniel pulls her into his arms and holds her steady. The quaking at his feet bodes no good deeds. Trouble's nearby if Quake is here. "Hey, hey," he begs quietly. "I know there's a lot going on, but we have to get out of here."

Kora looks down sadly, the anger dissipating. "I am sorry about Cal," she says before walking away.

Daniel takes Daisy's face in his hands and she nods, as if she knows exactly what he's asking, and pulls her away from whatever dangers may be lurking nearby.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy feels much calmer by the time they reach Daniel's apartment.

Kora's words still twist heavily in her gut, because she knows there is truth to a lot of it. Yes, her sister was out of line, but the sad thing is, Daisy understands all the pain and anger she's feeling.

It's the same things that she's said to herself, time and time again.

She looks at Daniel, a touch worried. She's sure he probably has a million questions, because the conversation with Kora certainly revealed a lot that she had not quite been so willing to share with him. He deserves to know, of course, but it's hard to explain it all.

She just prays that he doesn't ask about Lincoln. She's not sure if she has it in her to explain that right now.

Once they're inside, he speaks quietly, "Your mom was Jiaying, wasn't she?"

Mutely, Daisy nods. She figured he'd put together that much, at least. The story of Daniel Whitehall was a known one; a cautionary tale within S.H.I.E.L.D. Whitehall had joined under a false identity to gain their resources and experiment on supers. It was only when he had cut apart a young woman and pieced her back together that he had been found out. Howard Stark had locked him up for life, daring others to try anything similar.

Daisy knows, logically, that the seized reports on Jiaying had been the beginnings of Captain America's super-serum. It had to have been.

By the look on Daniel's face, she's correct.

"Your mom was a super," he says slowly. She nods.

It's not that she's worried that this will be what connects her to Quake. Superpowers aren't necessarily genetic, even though it was common enough for it to pass down. Her mother was a little more special, but Daniel doesn't know that bit. No one does.

After a minute, Daniel asks, "Do you want anything to drink?"

Daisy looks at him, incredulous. "So, that wasn't hard for you to swallow?" she asks. He just looks at her. "Nothing seems to faze you."

He shrugs. "It all fazes me," he says simply, "just maybe not my face."

But it's beyond that, she knows. Even if he goes along with everything that's thrown at him, there's something about his interactions with _her_ that are different. "Every time I ask you for help, you say yes. Even if I don't ask, you're waiting to make sure I rest or...whatever," Daisy points out. "Why? Be honest."

"Honest?" Daniel asks, and Daisy nods. "I know your type."

She raises her eyebrows. "My what, now?"

He gives her a little smile. "I know people like you. Some of my favorite people are people like you," he tells her, stepping a little closer. "Focused on the greater good, even at your own expense. You want people to think you like being alone, even though you always end up back with friends. You hate losing — "

"Everyone hates losing," she protests.

"Yeah, but you'll keep running at the problem full-tilt until you either solve it or slam headlong into a brick wall," he points out.

They're nearly toe-to-toe now. Daisy thinks, in a fleeting thought, if she leaned forward, she could press her lips to his. His eyes flicker down briefly, and she bites her lip. "Some of those walls are literal."

"I know."

"But how does that..."

"Because when people like you run into those walls," Daniel says firmly, "you should have someone there to pick you back up."

Daisy feels like her heart could beat out of her chest at his words. It's all a little too real for her, his devotion. He doesn't even actually know her. He knows Daisy Johnson, sure, but that's only half of her. He doesn't know about Quake, yet he still manages to see through her, speak to her as if she's this superhero.

She leans more into her heels, giving them a little bit of distance. "And you...you like to be that someone?" she asks him.

"Not for everyone," he says pointedly as he reaches for her hands. She lets him grip both of her hands, balancing her fingers in his palms. "It helps if they're fun to be around and if they say what they mean and if they happen to be a specialist in computers, which is _very_ impressive."

"That's, um," Daisy says, moving forward again. "That is awfully specific."

He hums in agreement, a smile on his face.

Daisy stares at him for a long minute, a soft smile showing on her own face, her earlier agony forgotten.

She realizes, with a start, that maybe Robbie taking away her grief wasn't so bad. She knew Lincoln would want her to move on, to not spend all her waking moments in constant sorrow, the guilt weighing her down from happiness. She feels lighter than ever in the presence of Daniel Sousa.

She can't help herself. She throws herself forward, her hands leaving his to twist around his neck, and kisses him hard.

His cane clatters to the floor and his hands fall at her hips as he stumbles backwards a little until he falls onto the couch, dragging her down with him.

Daisy pulls away lightly, in shock of herself.

Had she really just done that?

She's about to mutter an apology and get off of his lap, which she is currently straddling, but Daniel drags her closer and his lips find hers again with a strong desperation.

This kiss is deeper, hotter, filled with want and need and everything in between. Her hands cling to the curls on his head as she moans into his mouth and his grip on her hips tighten as he pulls her impossibly closer.

She pulls away with a gasp as she tilts her hips upwards. Daniel is quick to move his mouth down her jaw, then her neck, and he sucks softly on her pulse point.

Daisy hasn't ever felt like this. This _alive._ Not with Robbie, not even with Lincoln.

"Bed," she stutters out in between her short, desperate breaths.

Daniel pulls away from her with a little groan, his voice husky as he whispers, "Why don't I take you out for a drink first?"

"Are you asking me out?" Daisy asks with a hint of amusement.

She expects his cheeks to be tinged with red, but instead, his expression softens. "Call me old-fashioned," he says, "but I like to do things the long way around."

"That's a shame," Daisy whispers, moving forward to nibble on his ear. Daniel's hands still on the small of her back, finding the bare skin. "Because I was really looking forward to fucking you. But I guess I can wait a little longer."

He groans as she pulls his earlobe between her teeth and promptly lets go, sitting back in his lap and giving him a sultry look.

She's giving him a chance to change his mind, because goodness, does she want to get off tonight.

Daniel moves forward to press their lips together once more and Daisy internally cheers, because _success!_ but it's too sweet and soft and not filled with the overwhelming lust and passion she craves. He pulls away after too short a time to connect their foreheads and asks, "How's Friday night?"

She makes a little whining noise as she grips his shirt in her hands. "We really can't skip to the good part?" she complains. "Get the drink after?"

His dark expression softens into something less lustful, which was the exact opposite of what she was aiming for. "Daisy," he says tenderly. "I don't just want the sex. I want you."

The prospect of that scares her, because she really wants him, too. Not just, like, between her legs, but his heart and soul. She longs for him in a way that's unfamiliar to her. It's dangerous, letting herself fall for someone who aims to find out about her super self, to take her down and bring her in. She's always made fun of those people on TV who had gotten too close to those who could bring them down, but here she was, in the warm embrace of a Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D.

(She wonders if there are rules against this kind of thing.)

"If you couldn't tell," she replies shyly, "I've got a lot of baggage."

Daniel kisses her softly on the lips, then again on her forehead. "I don't care," he says genuinely. "When I say I want you, I mean it. The good and the bad."

Daisy debates saying something else, but she knows what she wants. She knows what she's decided.

"I'm all in," she whispers back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a little role reversal with them not telling each other about dead parents. Whoops. (Don't hate Kora too much.)
> 
> And we got a kiss! An actual, real kiss! And a little more than that, even. Too bad that nothing lasts for long when I'm the writer.
> 
> Next time: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But, um...plot?
> 
> Now the question is: Should I post the next chapter tomorrow or go back to my every-other-day schedule? Shoot off your thoughts in the comments!


	12. they were all around.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Agent Simmons," Daniel warns, "I should remind you that you are required by law to answer these questions with full transparency. Do you know the identity of Quake?"
> 
> Simmons fidgets a little, a frown forming on her face. "Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter showcases why a superhero should never schedule a date so far in advance. Don't these people know by now that the universe is always working against them?

The anticipation of Friday night keeps Daisy on her toes all week.

It's not like she's left in a torturous state of unfulfilled desire, though. She and Daniel still share stolen moments full of toe-curling kisses, even if they keep things appropriate and prudish, to Daisy's dismay. She knows that he's tempted to already go further, but he's a man of his word and he always keeps his hands to her waist and his lips to her face and neck.

("Why Friday?" she whined as they had found themselves making out in a storage closet at work on Wednesday. "We could go for that drink right now. We don't have to wait."

"Because — on Friday," Daniel whispered huskily, kissing a new spot on her skin with every couple words, "we don't — have to — worry about — work."

She immediately understands his meaning. It entices her to think about how come Friday, she likely will spend all night at his place, perhaps all day Saturday, given his clever choice in date-night, and maybe even all weekend.

It's in moments like these she loves the logical thinking his mind consistently strives for.

"Friday it is," she agreed with a final kiss.)

The week, otherwise, has been fairly calm. 

Daisy spends a large portion of the week looking into Nathaniel Malick, because she just knows that something is off about the whole thing.

Kora left after their fight, but Daisy is still determined to protect her little sister if need be.

Starburst hasn't made an appearance yet, which unnerves Daisy just a little bit. She hopes she's just busy. Or laying low for a little bit.

Quake's also been chill. The Watchdogs haven't been up to much except their typical skeeviness, which is easy to stop. There's no weapons that can blow holes in her chest or major threats to the Greater Los Angeles area.

Jemma, on the other hand, has not been chill. She's been in a constant state of anxiety at the thought of her quarterly lie-detection test in a chair that can spot any sort of mistruth.

("What if he asks who Quake is?" Jemma had cried in panic.

"He's not going to care about that," Daisy assured quickly. "And if he does ask, you'll figure it out.")

Daisy doesn't think Jemma has anything to worry about.

_ Right? _

Daniel is over trying to figure out who Quake is.

_ Right? _

He wouldn't press Jemma too much. They're friends now.

_ Right? _

But the morning of, Jemma seemed so much more calm, even smiling brightly as they headed up to the base.

"I'm not good at improvisation," she had said. "However, I excel at preparation."

The pit of nervousness sits in Daisy's stomach anyway.

  
  


-

  
  


Lately, Daniel has been feeling lighter than ever. He never expected his attraction and care for Daisy to actually lead to anything. He would have been perfect content in just having a steady friendship.

Now, they've developed into something  _ more. _ He's let the contained feelings in his heart swirl around, and now he can barely restrain himself when she pulls him into a secluded area of the base to sneak a few quick kisses.

He likes her. He  _ really  _ likes her. Perhaps he could go as far as to say he loves — 

"Agent Sousa?"

Jemma Simmons breaks him out of his thoughts, sitting on the invasive chair, waiting.

Ah, the less enjoyable part of the week.

It's time for the quarterly lie-detector interrogations with the higher-level agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's all fairly routine questioning.

For Dr. Simmons, her folder of questions mainly pertains to her relationship with Quake. Things like, "When was the last time you saw Quake?" "Has Quake asked you for any information pertaining to S.H.I.E.L.D. intel?"

The answers are almost always the same. The line of questioning is rather boring, really.

(The last time he's had Dr. Simmons in the chair was shortly after Will Daniels, the man she had been seeing, had been arrested. It was calm and steady — just to ensure that there was nothing else to worry about; nothing the agent may have forgotten she mentioned to the spy. He hadn't asked about Quake, then.)

He goes through the questions with ease, and Simmons answers it without issue. Until...

"Do you know the identity of Quake?" Daniel asks.

His eyes already go down to the next question, ready to open his mouth. This process is so familiar, he already knows the answer to this one. It's always the same.

But this time, the scientist hesitates.

"Dr. Simmons?" Daniel prompts, his brow furrowing.

"No?" she tries to answer pitifully. The machine immediately beeps.

_ A lie. _

Daniel perks up with interest, shooting a look to the person monitoring her results.

"Agent Simmons," Daniel warns, "I should remind you that you are required by law to answer these questions with full transparency. Do you know the identity of Quake?"

Simmons fidgets a little, a frown forming on her face. "Yes."

So, she knows now.

Of course she knows.

Daniel should've put it together earlier. Dr. Simmons had admitted to him that she had administered the antidote to the Watchdog poison over a month ago. Quake probably had to reveal herself.

"What is Quake's civilian identity?" Daniel interrogates.

Simmons bites her lip, clearly uncomfortable. "It is not my place to say."

He closes his eyes and presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Dr. Simmons, may I remind you — "

"If  _ I _ may, Chief Sousa," she interrupts, her expression suddenly hard and stern, "Quake confided in me her identity because, as a doctor, it was my duty to help her. It would go against doctor-patient confidentiality to disclose her personal information."

"That's not how it works," Daniel mutters. He knows that Simmons is just talking in circles to get out of this. "I'm not asking for her medical records — we're talking about her identity. Quake is a wanted vigilante. Any and all information you know about her whereabouts must be reported to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Or else?"

Daniel looks up at her. She's got her eyes narrowed, challenging him. "Or else I'll strip you of your S.H.I.E.L.D. badge and arrest you," he replies, his voice rising a little, frustration growing.

"I don't think you will, Agent Sousa," Simmons says with a small smirk on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"You forget that when I was instructed to save Captain America's life, I was given access to all his files," she explains.

Daniel stares at her blankly. "Are you threatening to reveal the civilian identity of Captain America?"

"Not his identity, no," Simmons responds calmly. "Not when there's something much more interesting in his medical files. I  _ am  _ a biologist. His blood work was certainly interesting, to say the least."

_ The serum. _

She's talking about the super-serum.

"That would be treason," Daniel says, his voice low.

"Do what you will," Simmons shrugs, pulling at the lie-detector restraints a little. "But I'm sure Daisy would be on my side if you were to arrest me."

It shocks him. He's gotten to know Agent Simmons fairly well within the past few weeks, in a more friendly sense. She's Daisy's best friend, she's a part of the Watchdog investigation team...

He thought he could trust her.

What is it about Quake that would make her do this?

"Let her go," Daniel barks out.

"What?" the person monitoring the chair stutters.

"You heard me. Let her go. I'm going to exempt Agent Simmons from any further testing."

Simmons gives a triumphant smile as the chair's restraints come undone. She pops up quickly. "I'm glad we could work something out, Agent Sousa. Perhaps I'll see you later," she says a little too joyfully for his taste.

_ Great. _

Just  _ great. _

  
  


-

  
  


"What the hell?" Daisy seethes as she storms into the room.

Daniel sighs, his hand coming up to his forehead to rub it in annoyance. He should've expected this.

"What the hell, Sousa!" Daisy repeats, stopping a few feet away from him. She's reverted back to his last name — this can't be good. "Did you really just threaten Jemma?"

His jaw goes slack. "Did  _ I _ threaten her? She is the one who said she's gonna reveal the truth about Captain America. She's lucky she didn't get escorted out in handcuffs!"

"Because you're forcing her to out Quake!" she objects hotly.

He has to keep himself from rolling his eyes because, "Oh, this again. You and your obsession with Quake."

Daisy recoils. " _ My _ obsession?  _ You're  _ the one who can't let her go."

"It's my job, Daisy!" he bellows, nearly exploding. "She's a criminal!"

"She's saving lives!"

"She's running around with another vigilante who's leaving burn victims left and right!" Daniel retorts. "She steals from banks! She takes down buildings and bridges! She destroys everything in her path!" Why doesn't she get it?

"So, you're just gonna arrest her?"

Daniel hesitates. "Only if she won't work with S.H.I.E.L.D. We just need to make sure she's doing things above-board like all the other supers out there. Just like Robbie."

Daisy huffs out a little bit of air, calming herself. Slowly, she says, "Have you considered the reason I'm against this is not because of some  _ obsession _ I have, but because the last time S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to a super unwanted, my mother ended up imprisoned by a psycho who cut her to pieces?"

Guilt creeps up Daniel's spine. It crushes against him painfully as he recalls how finding out about her biological mother had explained a lot about her stances on the supers and the Watchdogs. He should've understood why she was so upset immediately, but he had been too in his own head to think about her feelings.

He steps forward, his brow scrunching.

"It's not like that — "

"Jemma was right to keep it from you," Daisy continues steadily, her eyes staring daggers. "You have no clue who Quake is or what she's risking to be who she is. She could be standing right in front of you, and you wouldn't even know it. If Jemma's keeping it a secret, it's for good reason."

She stares at him in challenge and Daniel narrows his eyes. Suspiciously, he asks, "Do  _ you _ know who Quake is? You knew who Cap was. Have you been lying to me, too?"

Daisy winces, her eyebrows tilting into an offended expression. "What are you going to do, Daniel? Put me in the chair?  _ Arrest _ me?"

His heart drops as he realizes where this conversation has gone. He's being given a choice: S.H.I.E.L.D. or  _ her. _ His jaw opens, unsure of how to respond, and then he closes it sharply.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," she finishes, turning away from him.

"Daisy, wait — "

Regret overcomes him and he leaps forward to grab her hand.

"Don't," she snaps, letting her hand slip out of his, out of reach from him. "Just...don't."

And with that, Daisy leaves him in the loneliness of his own office, shutting the door harshly behind her.

Daniel debates going after her, taking her in his arms and begging for forgiveness, for ever doubting her. He feels empty inside, knowing he just royally screwed things up.

But before he can do anything, he gets a call from none other than Alexander Pierce.

"Chief Fury is dead. Captain America is now a fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D," Pierce says, and Daniel feels the floor open up from under him. "Any and all S.H.I.E.L.D. resources should be diverted to bringing him in."

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy runs from Daniel's office, tears welling up in her eyes. She refuses to cry — she won't let this get to her. She knew from the start that this was doomed. Daniel Sousa would never choose her — Quake — over his duty to S.H.I.E.L.D. She knew this. But a part of her had held onto enough hope to pursue him anyway.

After all this time, Daisy had hoped he would've learned to respect Quake enough to not force out her identity. Instead, he went after her best friend, threatening to arrest her for not revealing the true identity of the super.

It's not like Jemma would've actually released the information about Captain America, but she had been preparing for this line of questioning for a very long time.

Daisy still couldn't help but feel gutted at the turn of events.

She had been happy, truly  _ happy, _ just for a little bit, and that's what hurts the most.

Her phone rings loudly, shocking her out of her trance. She stumbles as she reaches to pick it up.

It's from a blocked number.

Daisy answers it anyway.

"I don't have much time to talk — " a voice says.

Daisy gasps. "Steve?!"

"Pierce has branded me a fugitive by now," Steve tells her quickly. He sounds out of breath, like he's been running. "He's blaming me for Fury's death. But he gave me a flash drive right before he died."

"What the hell is going on?" she demands.

"I think Fury found something, but it's encrypted," Steve explains. "I just — Quake needs to meet me in Brooklyn, okay? Quake is the only one without ties to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Okay," Daisy replies. "Okay, where in Brooklyn?"

"Just make your presence known when you get there, I'll find you," Steve tells her. "You know who to trust. No one else."

The call clicks as Steve hangs up and Daisy lets out a loud exhale.

It's then that the base begins to glare with red alarms and the screens all light up with Captain America's photo.

_ Fuck. _

Okay, so she needs to get to New York. As Quake. To open a super-secret, Chief-made USB drive.

And Nick Fury's dead, so that's a thing.

_ Fuck. _

Daniel Sousa is likely Pierce's next target, then.

_ FUCK. _

Daisy sneaks off of the base quickly, slipping into her Quake persona and debating what to do. She needs to get to New York, and quick. Then, she needs to figure out how to get into the East Coast's S.H.I.E.L.D. Chief's drive. And she's probably going to need —

_ Daniel. _

The swearing in her head gets louder. They just had a huge fight over his obsession with catching Quake, and here she was, about to offer herself on a silver platter. She has no choice, though.

Quake pulls out her encrypted phone and dials the number she was quick to memorize.

"Chief Sousa," Daniel answers quickly within the first dial. He sounds irritated, upset. Quake can't imagine what he's been going through, finding all of this out. Probably faring worse than she is, since he actually has to side with the enemy to keep pretenses.

"I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, Agent Sousa," Quake says into the phone, trying to keep her voice as level as possible, "but Captain America is in danger and I need your help."

It's silent for a minute, then she hears him shuffle around his office quickly. "Quake?" he breathes out.

"The one and only," she replies wittily. "So, what do you say, Chief? Can you put those pretty little handcuffs away for long enough to help me save your friend?"

There's a short pause, and then, "What do you need?"

"Meet me in Manhattan," she tells him. "I'll find you. Bring no one else, tell no one else. Captain America has something big. All the evidence we'll need on Fury's flash drive."

Quake clicks the burner phone shut quickly, hoping that the vagueness is enough to keep him interested. She hopes he listens, that he goes to New York.

She hopes that this isn't the biggest mistake of her life.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy is relieved when she sees that shortly after hanging up, Daniel Sousa commissions a Quinjet to New York within the hour.

She thinks that maybe, that's the end of it. Maybe he's forgotten all about their date, or assumed (rightly) that it wouldn't happen after she left his office. Maybe he'll go to New York without another word to her, like Quake requested.

Of course, that's not what happens.

Daniel finds her, even while she's tucked in a small storage closet that she likes to hide out in. Of course, he'd know her well enough to look there.

"Hi," he says quietly. "Things have kind of gone off the deep end."

"I've noticed," she responds with a sigh. "Anything I can do to help?"

Daniel stares at her for a long moment before clearing his throat. "Uh, I'm going to New York to help Quake figure all this out."

"Quake, huh?" Daisy says, trying to make her tone light and playful, but it just comes out dull and uninspired. Quake told him not to tell anyone else, yet here he was, telling her.

"Yeah," he says, fiddling with his cane for a second. Then, he requests, "Come with me."

Her head shoots up sharply. "What?"

"There's some kind of tech," Daniel explains. "I think your computer expertise may really help us. God knows I will know nothing."

"Did Quake tell you that?" she asks, hoping that he gets the hint.

He gives her a dull smile. "Nah," he tells her. "She actually said not to tell anyone. But you're not just anyone. I trust you."

It's an honest punch to the gut for Daisy. Daniel's here giving her all his faith — confiding in her something so huge — while she's continuing, over and over again, to lie to him.

"We'll need to have a rain-check on that drink," he jokes lightly, with a small laugh and a boyish grin. "Maybe we'll get a chance in New York."

"No," Daisy replies dully. The word sounds foreign from her tongue, and she feels her heartbeat skipping as a pit of self-loathing settles in her gut.

He doesn't immediately understand, and the positive expression sticks on his face. "I mean, I definitely won't be able to make it tonight — "

"We're not getting that drink, Daniel," she clarifies, voice thick with regret.

He freezes. "Oh," he responds finally.

_ Yeah. _

_ Oh. _

He lets out another laugh, but this one is more dark and ironic. "Yeah," he says, rationally, "I guess I deserve that."

Daisy frowns. Of course, Daniel would make her feel even more like shit because he just  _ accepts  _ it. He doesn't fight her, he doesn't try to justify himself. He just stands his ground and takes the blame. The heartbreak is apparent in his expression, but he still tries to keep the smile on his face, even though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Daniel..." she starts helplessly. "I am sorry."

"No, no," he reassures her as he rubs the back of his neck, "I get it. I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean..."

Daisy looks down, because honestly, she can't stand to look at the way the light leaves his eyes, his hopes crashing down, piercing his heart on the way.

"I, uh," he clears his throat awkwardly, "The Quinjet's leaving soon. I guess we can talk about it on the way, if there's even anything more to talk about."

Daisy panics.

Quake had specified he go alone, because there is absolutely no way Daisy can explain how she'll disappear every time Quake comes around.

"No, I'm not going," she says quickly.

Daniel frowns. "I'm sorry, Daisy," he tells her, "but I'm not just asking. This is an order from your Chief. I need you."

Daisy swallows. "I just...I just can't," she replies. "You're asking me as my boss, but I need to ask as your  _ friend _ to not make me go."

He stares at her for a moment, conflicted.

"I just think we need to spend some time apart," she finishes pathetically, holding back a sob. "Please."

_ Lies, lies, lies. _

Daniel's head hangs down, gritting his teeth painfully, as he takes a deep breath. "Okay," he replies finally.

Daisy lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Not only had she broken things off, but she had probably made Daniel think that their friendship has been irreparably damaged. The man in front of her looks wrecked, no matter how well he tries to hide it.

He comes up to her slowly, and begins to lift his hand. "Can I?" he whispers and she gives a short little nod before collapsing into his arms.

Daniel embraces her gently as she lets her tears fall onto his shirt. "Goodbye, Daisy," he whispers into her hair before pulling away.

"Goodbye," she chokes out, voice hollow, as he presses a kiss to her forehead. She hates how much this feels like a goodbye-for-good. It's silly, because she'll see him in just a couple hours as Quake, and then after New York, they'll still be working together.

It shouldn't be this hard.

Daniel leaves her alone, and she feels cold and empty without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My humble apologies. But, I did warn you.
> 
> It's back to the regularly scheduled programming, folks. Next chapter will be two days from now! (Or tomorrow if I hit 400 kudos or 40 comments by then. Just because I guess I like a good challenge. Edit: I'm adding an extra chapter so we'll see.)
> 
> Next time: Daniel spends more time with the woman he loves without knowing it's the woman he loves. Dumbassery to the highest degree.
> 
> Any guesses as to when the reveal will (finally) be?


	13. call and i'll rush out.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And here I thought the cane was just sexy," she grumbles as he presses it against her so she can't move away. Daniel rolls his eyes.
> 
> Great. Quake's a flirt.
> 
> "Give me the drive," he says sternly. She looks up at him with narrow eyes, but he grips tighter, and she has no choice but to hand over the drive.
> 
> Quake levels him with a glare. "This isn't ever going to work if you don't trust me."
> 
> "Too bad," Daniel replies as he pulls his cane back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Here's a challenge! It'll never make it to 400 kudos in a day but I'll put the wager out there for fun!  
> Me, only 8 hours later: What the actual fuck.
> 
> So, here I am. I'm an author of my word.
> 
> I actually ended up splitting this chapter into two, and adding some extra scenes (mainly in the next one). So, note the chapter increase. I just couldn't resist!
> 
> Can you believe that Daniel finds out Quake's real name in this chapter? WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR A REVEAL!

Quake jumps through the window the minute Daniel gets settled in his Manhattan hotel room and he nearly gets a heart attack. "How'd you get here so quickly?"

"I hitched a ride with you," she answers vaguely. "Cool jet."

She scans the room carefully.

"I'm not going to arrest you," he tells her pointedly. She seems to relax a little.

"I can never be too careful," she shrugs. "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't exactly always friendly towards me."

Daniel hangs his head a little. "Is it just because of the Watchdogs?"

"Excuse me?"

"The Watchdogs in S.H.I.E.L.D," Daniel clarifies. "Is that why you don't trust us with your identity?"

Quake stares at him for a minute. "Not exactly," she settles on.

"You can tell me," he presses. "I can keep it out of the files until we clear the Watchdogs out."

She doesn't respond to that, so he takes it as a resounding 'no'.

"Are you ever going to take accountability for the things you've done?" he asks instead.

She chooses to stare at him. The glowing eyes nearly look haunting. "I'm one of the good guys," she says confidently. "And Captain America specifically asked for me because I have no ties to S.H.I.E.L.D, so you should be thankful I never turned myself in."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Because otherwise, he would've called you."

That shuts Daniel up pretty quickly. It's true, he hasn't heard a thing from Steve since the news broke out. He's gotten a few messages from Peggy, who's about as lost as he is, but that's it. And he knows that Quake's not leading him into some kind of trap. Cap never said too much about Quake, but Daniel gathered that Steve fully trusted her.

"What now?" Daniel asks.

Quake shrugs. "Now, we wait. Cap said he'd find us. I'll go scout in Brooklyn for a bit. If he makes contact, I'll call."

"Great," he mutters, a touch bitterly as she makes her way back to the window. She pauses.

"You're in a mood," she observes.

"I've had a pretty god-awful day, so yeah, I'm in a mood," Daniel snaps back. "It was just supposed to be a nice evening on a date with — "

Quake leans against the wall with a raised eyebrow. "Date?"

"A date," he continues, "that was ruined by you!"

She gasps. "Me?" she replies angrily. "You're the one — "

She quickly stops herself, leaving Daniel the opening to say, "What's up with blackmailing one of my top agents, huh?"

"Blackmail?" Quake scoffs. "I haven't blackmailed anyone!"

"Jemma Simmons."

She narrows her eyes. "I did not blackmail anyone, Agent Sousa," she repeats. "Maybe Jemma Simmons is just a decent person who cares about my wishes. Unlike you."

Daniel nearly has to take a step back, not because of her words, but the intensity she says them has him reeling to something so oddly familiar.

_ Daisy. _

He has to close his eyes and shake his head lightly to remove her from his head. It's only been a few hours, but he misses her already. Everything is starting to remind him of her, which feels so incredibly sappy and sentimental, but he supposes that's what happens when you're in —

"I'll call you if I hear anything," Quake says. She hops out of the window before he can say anything else.

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel wakes up the next morning after attempting to pull an all-nighter to his phone ringing. He springs awake, fully alert.

_ Peggy. _

"What is it?" he answers quickly, almost dropping the phone in his haste.

"Pierce has him!" Peggy tells him frantically. "He won't let me see him, but they brought him in from New York last night apparently — "

"Slow down, Peg."

"Daniel, they've got Steve," she tells him. Nausea swirls in his stomach, and it only gets worse when he sees Quake at the window. "Thompson managed to tip me off, but he can't get to him either. Pierce has got him locked down."

Daniel's frown deepens. "Probably keeping it to Watchdogs-only." Quake draws closer, so Daniel quickly says, "Peg, I gotta go, but I promise you, I'll do everything I can to find him," before hanging up the phone.

"Shit," Quake curses.

Daniel can't help but agree. "I'm guessing you didn't find anything."

"I did, actually," Quake says, her voice grim. "I saw the Watchdogs circling this one place. I followed them around for a bit — Cap's long gone — but I have a feeling the drive is still where they found him."

He hesitates for a moment before asking, "Did you even get any sleep?"

It's not his place to care about her wellbeing, yet, he does. Quake reminds him of Daisy in so many ways, and he has a feeling that she also will focus on a mission so intensely until she drops dead from exhaustion.

"I'm fine, Daniel," Quake replies softly.

Daniel almost wants to fire off a quick retort about how 'Daniel' is only for his friends, or at least people whose names aren't a mystery to him, but he lets it slide.

They have more important things to focus on.

Quake's quick to lead him to the abandoned building in Brooklyn that Captain America was arrested at, according to her investigations. There definitely seems to be signs of a struggle, and it's apparent to be Captain America's struggle when they see the large imprint of a starred shield on some pieces of wood.

"Fury's drive should be here somewhere," Quake mumbles. "Cap would've known to leave it behind in the fight."

As the super looks around, Daniel can't help but be reminded of Daisy again. He scrunches his nose as he tries to purge her from his brain, because  _ goddamn it, _ he needs to focus. He was the one who ruined things. Really badly.

As it turns out, he's been looking at Quake dumbly this whole time.

"What is it?" she asks with a furrowed brow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Daniel says, shaking his head a little. "You just remind me a lot of — "

"What are you doing here, Mary?" a deep voice interrupts.

Quake freezes, which in turn makes Daniel freeze.

_ Mary? _

The pair turn around to see Daredevil jumping down from one of the top pillars. He's holding a flash drive in his hand.

_ Bingo. _

_ But also... _

_ Mary?! _

"How the hell do you know my name?"

Daredevil frowns, as if he's just realizing something. He rubs his mask a little. "It's me," he says and Daniel blinks. "It's Matt."

Daniel's one of the few people who has access to all the identities of supers, so it's not like it's a surprise to see who's under the mask. What's surprising to him is the fact that Daredevil seems to know Quake personally, and trust her well enough to reveal himself.

"Oh my god," Quake whispers. " _ You're _ Daredevil?"

It's all very interesting, but...

_ Mary? _

Daniel mouths it out a few times, in a bit of a state of disbelief.  _ Mary? _

"Hold on," he starts, his brow furrowing. "This whole time, your name has been  _ Mary? _ Really?"

"Not the time, Danny Boy," Quake mutters. She turns to Daredevil, "I, uh, I go by Quake now."

Daredevil frowns a little. "You're a super," he says, deadpan. It's not a question. "You're here for Captain America's flash drive."

"Yup," Quake pops, a spring in her step as she approaches him.

"How do you two even know each other?" Daniel asks incredulously.

"We grew up together," Daredevil replies.

Quake plucks the flash drive from his fingers. "Yeah, and that's enough talking there. I think Danny Boy has more than enough info."

Truthfully, Daniel has just about no info. There are probably an infinite amount of Mary's out there. It might be one of the most popular names in the world.

"Someone else is here," Daredevil says just as a shot rings out, breaking the glass. Quake yelps as it hits against her suit, and she returns a quake in the direction it came from.

Daniel whips around his gun, looking for an attacker, and then —

"Daniel, look out!" she yells before tackling him to the floor. He grunts as he hits the ground, Quake falling on top of him ungracefully. She does a pained little whine as she slowly lifts herself up.

He's quick to notice their precarious position, with her straddling him, her body pressed into his, but she makes little effort to move. Instead, she stares down at him with wide eyes.

_ Think of Daisy,  _ he prompts himself, before realizing what an absolutely  _ awful  _ idea that is in these circumstances. He should  _ not _ be thinking about Daisy with this other girl pressed into him, because that is doing very terrible things to him. (Well,  _ great  _ things, except for the fact it's happening at this moment.) He thinks of anything else. Absolutely anything else.  _ Baseball. War. Blood. Death. _

"That hurt," Quake comments after a moment, leaning back a little, but still sitting astride him, a little  _ too  _ comfortably.

"You think?" he mutters. He's the one that took the brunt of the fall.

"Hey, if I hadn't done that, you would've been shot!" she protests. He notices that she still has not gotten up.

"So,  _ Mary, _ you gonna go quake the bad guys?"

"I may like you, Danny Boy, but I'm not above smacking you," Quake counters, deadpan.

Daniel raises an eyebrow. "You like me, huh?"

She blinks and looks down, suddenly noticing their positioning. He swears she blushes. She pushes herself up and gets off of him, then holds out a hand to help him up.

Daredevil jumps back into the building. Daniel hadn't even realized he was gone.

"It was a sniper," Daredevil tells them. "They're long gone by now, but they'll send footmen soon. You need to go."

"Did Captain America say anything to you?" Daniel asks him.

Daredevil shakes his head. "Only to protect the drive. But he wasn't the only super that was being held by the Watchdogs against their will."

"What do you mean?" Quake probes. "What super?"   
  


"A girl," he replies. "She had a lot of energy inside her. She was ready to explode."

"Shit," Quake says. "Thanks, Matt, but we gotta go."

"Hold on — "

Daniel tries to slow her down, but Quake's already running out the building. He manages to trip her up with his cane and grab her just in time, just before she quakes herself away.

"And here I thought the cane was just sexy," she grumbles as he presses it against her so she can't move away. Daniel rolls his eyes.

_ Great. Quake's a flirt. _

"Give me the drive," he says sternly. She looks up at him with narrow eyes, but he grips tighter, and she has no choice but to hand over the drive.

Quake levels him with a glare. "This isn't ever going to work if you don't trust me."

"Too bad," Daniel replies as he pulls his cane back.

  
  


-

  
  


Partnering up with Daniel could've gone better, Quake muses.

And, of course, because the universe continues to spite her, they run into the one person who would be able to recognize her despite the Quake disguise. The one guy who can know who everyone is without seeing, all blind-earthbender-like.

Life is unfair.

Yet, she was spared — perhaps even  _ saved _ — by him calling her Mary. When she knew him, her name was still Mary Sue Poots. It's all he knew her as, and now, it would be what Daniel knew her as.

(She was like eighty-seven percent sure that Daniel was about to say that Quake reminded him of Daisy. Talk about saved by the bell.)

In fact, perhaps she should send Matt a gift basket.

And the Watchdogs also have Kora. That  _ had  _ to have been who Matt was talking about. What other super is bursting with energy?

(That's when Quake suddenly remembers the Watchdogs' weapon. The one that had the energy to blow a hole through Ghost Rider's chest.

It was  _ Kora. _ That's why her power was so familiar.)

Did she know? Matt had said she was being held against her will.

Quake has a renewed vigor to go through this goddamn drive. There has to be  _ something _ in it. But Daniel's got it now, and he doesn't seem to be letting it up.

"Do you hack?" she asks pointedly.

"No," he replies quickly, "but I know someone who does."

Quake realizes that he's probably talked about her civilian persona, so she asks, "Is she here?"

He pauses, staring at the ground a little sadly. "No."

Quake feels bad all over again, because Daniel didn't deserve the pain she caused him. If she had never pursued him in the first place, never kissed him last week, they could've avoided this whole mess.

When they get to the hotel room, Daniel pulls out an old laptop (like, really old and outdated — Daisy should've made sure to give him something decent) and hands it over to her with the drive.

Quake is quick to get to work on the complex encryption under Daniel's watchful eye. He's giving her a strange look that she can't quite place.

"So, Mary," he starts, "got a last name?"

"Are we really doing this again?" she mutters, her eyes staring at the screen.

"Just trying to be friendly," Daniel replies unhappily and Quake snorts.

But Daniel actually looks put-out at her lack of a non-answer, and she decides it's not going to change anything if she tells him. "It's Mary Sue Poots."

He laughs out loud and it's almost music to her ears, except it's about  _ her. _ More specifically, the name she had to live with for the first eighteen years of her life. "That's a good one," Daniel says with a bit of a wheeze. At her pouting expression, his eyes widen. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Unfortunately," she mumbles. Daniel's amused face looks like it wants to say something else, but the computer chimes with something...

They're in.

_ Well, to the password area. _

It's unlike a password section she's ever seen. It's old-timey, and looks like a...riddle?

"Well, Chief, this is probably where you come in," Quake announces. "The riddle is — "

"Swordfish," Daniel interrupts before she can read it out.

She hesitates. "Swordfish? I don't know this riddle, but I'm fairly certain that the answer is  _ not _ 'swordfish'."

"Call and response," he fills in. "Peggy created it back in the day with people she trusted with her life. Cap, Fury, the Starks, Pym, Coulson..."

"Pierce?"

"No, he wasn't a part of that group."

Quake gets the idea. "Alright, 'swordfish' it is."

She types it in and sure enough, it all opens up. Hundreds of pictures of Pierce pop up, along with other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, research into supers, and so much more than she could possibly imagine.

"I'm gonna need some time with it," Quake tells him, "alone."

"With all due respect, not a chance," he quips back. "Look, either do this with me or not at all."

She narrows her eyes at him a little. It's not that she doesn't trust Daniel — quite the opposite, really — but she has no clue what will be on this drive.

She's itching to immediately look Malick up, but she can't do that with Daniel right there. Chances are, it'll out Kora as Starburst, and likely even Daisy as Quake. Who knows what kind of information these people have.

But Daniel's not letting up, so, together, they look through the drive. And it's probably everything they need to bring Pierce down. Fury definitely did his research before his untimely end. He had to have had someone on the inside — there's just so much information.

And also, it's horrifying. Stories of supers being cut up, brutally murdered, the torture of their loved ones...

The Watchdogs truly hate supers.

At some point, Daniel seems to realize it's just her typing while he's looking over her shoulder. It feels like it's been hours.

So, he asks, "You want coffee from downstairs?"

Quake looks at him, a little bewildered. Daniel's asking her for her  _ coffee  _ order?  _ Now? _

"You supers do drink coffee, right?" he asks, exasperated.

"Uh, yeah," Quake confirms. "Yeah, I do. Six sugars, please."

(She's careful to keep it a little different from what he knows as Daisy's order, of course.)

He shakes his head a little at her before exiting the room.

The second Daniel leaves, Quake carefully takes the laptop into her hands and jumps out of the window.

Yeah, he was right not to trust her alone.

Oh, well.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy feels a smudge terrible about that, of course. Daniel's probably going to think that Quake betrayed him the second he returns to the hotel room, but she just can't risk this. She'll return later. No harm, no foul, right?

She searches for Malick in the dark corner of a little Internet Cafe.

And boy, do the results provide.

Daisy is shocked when Nathaniel Malick's photo pops up over and over again at Whitehall's cell, across the bars. Logs show that he visited weekly — at least.

This goes beyond the Watchdogs.

This is worse than Daisy could have imagined.

The little rat is Whitehall's  _ protégée. _

Which means that this slimy weasel is probably experimenting on Kora somewhere, subjecting her to the same fate as their mother.

And according to what else the info on this drive has to say —

They were the ones after Captain America, and they just might have it all figured out —

_ Fuck. _

Daisy feels sick.

She plucks the drive out from the computer and closes the laptop quickly. She needs to get outside. She needs...

She needs to tell Daniel.

Daniel would never let Quake go on a side mission to save an unknown someone, but if  _ Daisy _ is the one to call him...

She knows, brokenly, that he'd still do anything for her. Even after everything, he'd drop everything if she asked this of him.

So, the second Daisy makes it to the side alley, she dials.

"Daisy?" Daniel answers the phone quickly, confused.

"I was right, Nathaniel Malick is shady," she says in record speed. "He's working with Whitehall — I think he has Kora."

"What do you mean, 'has Kora'?"

"Look, you have to be careful. I think they've got the super-serum — "

Suddenly, several men approach her. "What the  _ fuck  _ — !" she yells out as one of them lunges at her.

"Daisy?!" Daniel calls through the phone, panicked.

Daisy drops the phone as she maneuvers through the men. She can't risk bringing out her Quake suit now — who knows who these men are — so she recalls all the hand-to-hand training May taught her.

The biggest guy drags her by the hair and she screams feral, twisting herself to pull out of his grasp. The smaller one manages to get below her, kicking her swiftly in the stomach and she cries out.

"Find Kora!" she yells loudly, praying to the gods she doesn't quite believe in that Daniel can still hear her. She's outnumbered and already sorely losing the fight — she needs Daniel to know, to save her sister if she can't. "Don't worry about me, just find Kora!"

She faintly hears Daniel still yelling through the phone, but one of the men crushes it and  _ damn. _

Someone hits her in the hard of the head, hard, and she's dealt with another kick in the stomach and she doubles over.

She's not going to make it out if she doesn't start quaking soon, gauntlets and identity be damned.

One of the men backhands her and she falls to the floor. The laptop falls from her hands and crashes next to her, shattering. Daisy cringes as she decides that it's done for. There's no salvaging that.

But it seems to get the attention of her attackers. They swoop the laptop into their arms and run off, leaving Daisy alone.

Bruised and bloodied, but alone.

_ What. The. Fuck. _

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel curses the world.

Quake's left him high and dry, taking the drive with her, and now Daisy's in danger somewhere all the way across the country.

She had called him, frantic, about Kora being held by Malick and Whitehall before she had dropped the phone and only muffled screams and crashes could be heard. He doesn't even know where to start, but he needs to make sure Daisy's okay.

That's when Quake comes back.

"What happened to you?" Daniel asks as Quake sneaks back in through the window.

She wipes the blood off of her lip. "Just some bad recon. Nothing to worry about. Lost the shitty laptop, but I still got the drive."

"I need to get back to L.A," he tells her then.

Quake freezes. "What?"

"Someone I care about is in danger," he says, packing his belongings quickly. "I need to find her."

"What happened?" she asks.

"I don't know," Daniel says with frustration. "I think the Watchdogs got to her. Or Whitehall, or something. I just... I just need to make sure she's okay."

Quake takes a minute to formulate her response. "Whitehall? He's in New York. I was just doing recon — I think he's the one who's got Captain America."

Daniel doesn't care. He needs to get to Daisy.

"Look, if your friend was calling about Whitehall, maybe the best thing to do would be to find him," Quake reasons.

And honestly, it's sound logic, but Daniel just can't think logically right now. Not when all he can hear echoing in his brain is Daisy's muffled screams through the phone as crashes were heard all around. Panic seizes his chest as he thinks about what might have happened to Daisy.

What if she's... 

He can't afford to think like that now. Quake's right. Even if he tried to go back to Los Angeles to find her, he'd be too late. If it was Whitehall or Malick that had attacked her, and succeeded in bringing her in alive, she's probably on her way here. His best chance of helping her would be to continue on his mission.

Daniel steadies his breath as he tries to keep his head clear.

"Okay," he says with a large exhale. "Lead the way, Quake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait, you wanted _the other_ reveal? That one? Whoops, my bad.
> 
> Has anyone here seen Miraculous Ladybug? Honestly, their obliviousness to each other's true identities is what really inspired this fic. I love some quality dumbasses.
> 
> Daniel sure is gonna be very embarrassed when he realizes.
> 
> Next time: Quake and Daniel visit the Starks to get ahead of the not-Watchdogs. Quake slips up.


	14. all out of breath now.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quake feels her face grow hot as she realizes she messed up big time. How could she have missed something so simple?
> 
> "Shit," is all Quake manages to get out. Daniel gives her a funny look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, I felt empty not posting yesterday. I kind of miss posting daily.
> 
> This one's an emotional one. Prepare yourselves.

As it turns out, the next best step is paying a visit to the Stark Tower.

Quake's been avoiding this, because she knows that she'll come face-to-face with Coulson. As Iron Man's handler, he's always at Tony Stark's heels. He'll be unavoidable. She's not sure if she has it in her to treat Coulson like a stranger; not when he gave her everything. He was her father, in nearly every sense of the word. Every sense that mattered, that's for sure.

(Even with Daniel, Daisy tends to slip up every now and then. She teases and prods and flirts, and to her surprise, she thinks he flirts back, in his own subtle way.

She feels like maybe she should be offended. She — as Daisy — had just broken things off with Daniel, and here he was, flirting with Quake.

  
Then again, it's not like they were really ever together. It was just four days of stolen moments and blissful kisses, leading up to something that never came to be.

And it's not like she hasn't been prompting him, no matter how unintentional. Her comments just sort of slip out. She can't resist.)

As it turns out, Quake didn't have all that much to worry about.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony says pretty much the second she and Daniel waltz in, without even sparing a glance at them. "I was wondering when you'd come to pay a visit."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm not a kid."

Tony pulls himself up to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "I know I taught you better than that, kiddo. The only reason you've made it up the Tower is that your DNA is programmed to be let in. That list is very, very short."

Quake feels her face grow hot as she realizes she messed up big time. How could she have missed something so simple?

"Shit," is all Quake manages to get out. Daniel gives her a funny look.

She's only met Tony on a few occasions before, but he's always treated her fondly. They've bonded quickly over coding and mischief and shitty parents and his super-epic suit. He was like the quirky uncle she's never had.

Out of all the people she's been worried about figuring out her secret, Tony was pretty damn low on her list.

Well, he wasn't a genius for nothing.

"Seriously?" Daniel exclaims. "Do you just happen to personally know all the supers out there?"

"Surprised you brought S.H.I.E.L.D. in tow," Tony comments, sending a pointed look toward Daniel. "I thought Quake was all about staying under the shadows."

"Is the old man around?" Quake asks sharply, trying to diverge the subject. She hates her luck. She hates the universe. Why is it getting so stuffy in here? Who is up there taunting her like this?

"And here I thought you just wanted to pay a visit to your daddio," Tony says, faking a pout. She can feel Daniel's eyes boring into the back of her head.

She really doesn't need this right now.

If goddamn  _ Tony  _ fucking  _ Stark  _ is what outs her to Daniel, she will probably just go hide in a deep, dark hole for a very, very long time.

"Yeah, he's around," Tony shrugs. "But I'm sure I'd be able to do better."

Quake folds her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Do you know how the super-serum works?"

Tony pauses and then swishes his mouth in an unpleasant way. "Fine, you win. Jarvis! Call for Howard Stark. It's urgent."

Quake looks triumphant and Daniel continues to frown. "This is...so weird," he says finally.

Yeah, imagine how  _ she  _ feels.

Sure enough, Howard Stark comes quick, albeit moody.

Surprisingly, the all-famous Natasha Romanoff follows.

And so does Coulson.

_ Fuck. _

"I heard there's a party," Natasha says with a sly smirk.

"Is everyone here cleared?" Quake asks Daniel.

He nods. "They're all Level Seven. They know about the super-serum."

_ So Coulson knew about it. _

_ Huh. _

Quake stares everywhere except at Coulson, but she can see from the corner of her eyes that he's looking at her with a bright expression.

Is he...

_ A Quake fan? _

The idea seems preposterous, that her father would be a fan of her superhero persona. He's always been a bit of a fan boy, which is kind of odd, considering his job position.

"We can trust them," Daniel prompts after too long of a silence. "They're not Watchdogs."

"Alright," Quake says a little too loudly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Watchdogs."

Everyone stares at her a bit blankly, and she blinks. She's always been a solo artist. She doesn't really know how to do this whole  _ speech _ thing.

Daniel takes pity on her and continues, "Pierce is Watchdog. We don't know who we can trust. Fury got a little too close to the truth and," he holds up the flash drive, "got killed delivering this to Captain America."

"I should tell you now that I've already informed them," Natasha says, deadpan.

Daniel looks at her in disbelief.

"Look, I got Steve out of D.C," Natasha rationalizes. "We couldn't get that thing open and then we got separated."

"Okay," Daniel responds. "Well — "

"Whitehall escaped from prison and I think he's nearly perfected the super-serum," Quake interrupts. They needed to get to the point.

That seems to get everyone stirred up.

"That's impossible," Howard replies uncomfortably. "I've got him locked up in a secure facility. I would've gotten an alert if he escaped."

"I believe the person across from his cell was found dead nearly two weeks ago," Quake points out. "Whitehall made his slip then."

And there's the complicated part of the whole thing.

_ Cal. _

Cal and Whitehall had been prison buddies, of sorts. Fury's drive included the Chief's detailed investigations and interviews.

Cal had been trying to use Whitehall, find an opportunity to avenge his wife.

Instead, it had all backfired. It must have. His body wouldn't be six-feet-under, otherwise.

Howard is silent for a little while. Coulson gives her a sad smile, as if he  _ knows, _ and Quake has to look away.

_ What if Coulson does know? _

"If Whitehall is the one that has Captain America, then he's one blood sample away from a serum," Quake presses. "He's using the Watchdogs, or something. Or there's some kind of diverging group that's more interested in becoming supers than destroying them. I still haven't figured it all out."

Howard's mouth is stuck in a fine line as everyone looks at him. "We've destroyed all records of the serum," he explains slowly. "I'm not sure how we could help."

"Easy," Tony fills, "we continue our search."

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet," Coulson adds. "Cellphones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

Natasha shakes her head. "That's still not gonna find him in time."

Quake knows how to find Captain America.

It's a gamble, but she knows.

"They've got a super with them. Starburst. They're experimenting on her too," Quake says quickly. "She's got intense energy inside her. You might be able to track her."

Tony snaps his fingers. "Bingo. We find the living supernova, we hopefully find our star-spangled friend."

Howard relents. "It's worth a try," he agrees. "My son and I will head down to the labs to see what we can use to track her energy levels."

"Hey," she says to Daniel. "Why don't you go down to the labs? I'll take care of things here."

He frowns at her. "You probably would know more about the serum and Starburst."

Quake shrugs. "Nothing more than what I've told you. I've got some business here to take care of."

_ Like talk to Coulson. _

"Okay," he relents. "But don't go anywhere. We're doing this together."

"You finally trusting me, Danny Boy?" she says with a light smile.

But he doesn't return it. Instead, he just looks sadder. "I just want to find Daisy. The sooner we find Whitehall, the sooner I can find her."

Quake's heart clenches at his concern. She wishes desperately that she could reach out and tell him that she's okay. If only her phone hadn't been busted, or she'd send him a message to promise him that she's okay.

Maybe she could get Jemma to call him to subtly mention that Daisy is doing just fine in L.A. Or, since that would be weird unprompted, maybe Quake should slip the idea to call her.

"We'll find her," she settles on instead.

"Good," he says quietly. "I don't know what I'd do if we didn't."

Quake gives into her temptation to rub his shoulder affectionately, just for a second. He looks up at her with a somewhat broken expression. "You lost someone important to you, too," he says quietly. "Electric, right?"

Her hand falls suddenly, her mouth opening a little in shock. She blinks back the tears, remembering that she's in a room full of people.

"You should go down to the labs," she repeats again.

Daniel looks regretful, but only nods and walks toward the elevator, where Howard is waiting.

Tony walks to join them, but pauses just as he passes by Quake.

"You know," he tells her quietly, nodding toward Coulson, "he reads all your news stories. I'm sure he'd love to hear about all of them from you."

She gives Tony a dull smile as he continues on, and the lab group disappears from her view as the elevator door closes.

Natasha looks at Quake and Coulson, unimpressed. "I'm going to raid the weapons cache," she announces. "You two have fun."

Quake's heart pounds against her chest violently as she looks up to the man she sees as her dad. He's giving her a fond smile that just tells her that somehow, he knows.

"You can take off your mask, Daisy," Coulson says, still smiling. "Or you can leave it on if that makes you more comfortable."

So, with shaking hands, Quake removes her mask.

"How long have you known?" she asked dejectedly. God, she feels like a teenager who's just been caught sneaking out with her boyfriend.

"I wasn't entirely sure until I saw you," he tells her. "But May's had the theory since Quake first made the news."

"Sounds like May," Daisy agrees with a sigh. "How is she?"

"She's good, she misses you," Coulson answers lightly. "I think she's in Moscow right now. She'll be sad to hear she missed this."

"Will she?"

"That unmasking? Totally cool," Coulson nods.

"I'm sorry I never told you," Daisy says quietly. "I've just..."

"It would've been nice to know why we always felt quakes in the house before you moved to L.A," he shrugs. "We've been keeping track of your missions."

Which honestly makes Daisy feel even worse, because Daniel was right. Quake isn't a hero. Her missions are often violent and destructive, even if she has good intentions.

Coulson, of course, just  _ gets it. _

"You're not a criminal," he assures her.

"That's exactly what I am," she snaps back. "Or did you forget that you picked me up when I was hacking into your organization?"

"That was a long time ago," he amends. "And you always had good intentions."

Daisy looks at Coulson for a long moment. Of course, he'd get her. He always got her, always believed in her. He never doubted her, even when he had every right to.

His eyes light up just the tiniest bit. "What's Captain America like?"

She can't help but let out a laugh at that. Her dad's always been a big fan of Captain America. He's collected all the gear and merch he could get his hands on. The more exclusive, the better.

Daisy thinks about everything that Steve's done for her. How he protected her identity from the people closest to him. How he trusted her with his.

"He's an amazing person," she tells him genuinely. "Truly a stand-up guy."

"That makes me happy," he tells her. He looks at her for a long minute before asking, "So, Daniel Sousa, huh?"

Daisy looks up quickly. "What do you mean?"

Coulson just gives her a  _ look  _ and she blushes. Then, she's suddenly sad. There's nothing going on. She ruined it. She broke things off, because of Quake. "I'm glad he's here," she admits softly.

"That makes me happy, too."

Eventually, Daisy just can't help herself. She's just missed her dad so damn much. She launches herself forward to give Coulson a hug.

"I hope you know that I am proud of you," he tells her softly and she just wants to burn into tears. "I am so proud."

  
  


-

  
  


The lab's across the street from the Tower, with a fully functional staff of scientists. He's seen it a few times in the past.

Daniel met Howard back when he was just a soldier in a war. The Stark family was well-known for their advanced military research and weaponry. Howard was the big dog at the time, as Tony was barely an adult. After losing his leg, Peggy had invited Daniel to come work with her on Project Rebirth.

They wanted to create a perfect super. One that would be a symbol, provide hope to everyone. One that would become a mascot of S.H.I.E.L.D.

They had come up with Captain America.

Twenty years feels like a blink of an eye, now.

"Interested in a new leg, Danny Boy?" Tony asks as they pass the advanced prosthetics section of the lab.

It takes a lot within Daniel to not roll his eyes. "It's not a toy to fix. I'm fine the way I am."

He could swear that Tony almost looks ashamed at that reply, frowning slightly and avoiding eye contact. "Suit yourself," he shrugs.

"Here we go," Howard announces. "Thermal tracking. If this Starburst has an excessive heat signature — "

"She does," Tony fills in. "I've run into her before. She lights up like a fairy with thermal filters. All blue."

"Good," Howard replies. "Then we can start with the island and work our way out. Chances are, they're still in the state."

"What if they aren't?" Daniel asks. "Won't it take forever to find them?"

"It's the best we've got," Howard answers.

"Look," Tony starts, "We've got two trackers. We'll just have to be efficient. The sooner we find her, the sooner I can put on my suit and grab Cap."

Daniel thinks about Daisy. He thinks about Kora, too. Daisy had begged him to save her sister, even while she was being attacked.

"We'll save everyone," Daniel corrects. Tony shrugs, agreeing, but unconcerned.

So, they get to work. Howard takes one, Tony takes the other as Daniel observes. He's not sure how he can do more to help. He has a chance to glance around the lab, and  _ wow. _ S.H.I.E.L.D. really should be keeping closer tabs on these people. They've got enough tech to take over the world, if they wanted to. And, knowing the Starks, they may want to.

"What's going on between you and Quake?" Tony asks him suddenly and Daniel feels like his eyebrows have reached his hairline.

_ What?! _

"Excuse me?"

"I feel like it's my duty or something to give you the shovel talk," Tony says with a strange grin, "if anything is going on."

It all starts coming together for Daniel.

_ Mary. _

A homage to Maria, Tony Stark's late mother. Tony had never been a fan of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intrusions, which would explain Quake's reluctance. He had never thought to ask about her age, but she could easily pass for early 20's. Even the nanotech of her suit resembles Iron Man's. It also explains why Captain America would trust her — despite his misgivings with Tony, they still made formidable partners.

They even  _ sound  _ alike, with all their 'Danny Boy' quips and all that.

It just all  _ clicks. _

"Take good care of that girl, will you?"

Daniel nearly laughs at that statement, because he's not sure that Quake needs anyone to take care of her, but he manages a careful nod. "There's nothing going on between me and Mary, you should know."

Tony barks out a laugh at that one. "Ha, Mary! I'm sure she gets a kick out of you calling her that."

Daniel wrinkles his forehead in confusion. "What do you mean? That's her name, isn't it?"

Tony gives him a sly smile and shrugs. "She's always hated it," he ends up answering. "Mary Sue Poots. Ridiculous, don't you think?"

Daniel is just the smallest bit surprised to find out that Quake had not been joking when she said that was the full name. He still can't help but want to burst out laughing.

Who in their right minds would name her that?

No wonder 'Quake' is one that she wears proudly. He'd also go by that if his name was that ridiculous.

Well, he'd probably change his legal name first. Because  _ no. _

"Seriously?" Tony bursts out in disbelief. "There's nothing going on there?"

"Er, no," Daniel says awkwardly. "There's...someone else. Sort of."

He's not sure how he got into a conversation where he's defending his lack of a relationship with a vigilante he barely knows with Iron Man.

"Less talking and more working, son," Howard says harshly.

  
  


-

  
  


It doesn't take long to find them. Tony sees an intense heat signature in upstate New York. It has to be Starburst.

"I'm pretty sure that's a star," Tony says, pointing at another figure who looks nothing like a star. "That's gotta be Cap."

They call it in, and Agent Romanoff replies that she and Quake will meet them outside. Daniel is quick to jot down the address.

"Where are they?" Quake is quick to ask as soon as they meet in the street, right between the Stark Labs and Stark Tower.

"Quinjet can get us there in fifteen," Daniel replies quickly. "Just upstate New York."

"My suit will get there in five," Tony brags, slightly smug. "I'll go ahead, do some recon."

"The little people will take the jet, got it," Romanoff drawls slowly, glaring slightly. Tony shrugs. "Go, playboy. Grab your suit. We'll start heading out."

He nods, and he and Howard quickly pace back to Stark Tower.

"Come on," Romanoff says. "We've got a Quinjet above the lab."

Quake pauses for a second. "Daniel, wait," she says, carefully placing her hand on his arm. "I know you hate me, but I just need you to know — "

"I don't hate you," he says quickly. "I've been fascinated. You were a puzzle I've been trying to solve for a while now, but I think I've finally put the pieces together."

Quake scoffs. "I really doubt that."

Suddenly, in the sky, there's a bright flash racing across the clouds.

"Incoming!" Agent Romanoff screams as she braces herself.

Daniel only has a second to react. He throws himself over Quake as the quinjet explodes and —

It all goes black.

.

.

.

For a second, Daniel thinks it's Daisy looming over him as he blinks back into consciousness. But then his brain catches up and he remembers that Daisy doesn't have long, purple hair or glowing eyes, and he realizes it's actually Quake hovering over him.

"Daniel?" she whispers desperately, her hands caressing his face. "Daniel, are you okay?"

He groans out, "Just peachy."

Quake helps him sit up slowly, her touch gentle and tender. She touches the back of his head to check for blood, but her fingers come back clear, so she throws herself into his arms and hugs him.

Daniel is slightly taken aback, but she seems genuinely worried, so he puts his arms around her in return.

"I'm okay," he mumbles against her hair. "I can't say the same for those poor bastards, though." Daniel makes a subtle nod towards the exploded area in front of them. The whole lab seems to have been blown to pieces. He notices that Agent Romanoff has disappeared — he's not entirely sure where to.

Quake pulls away quickly. "Shit, they're going after — "

"The Starks," Daniel finishes, his eyes wide.

They both stand up in record time, but they're too late. Daniel can only see the quick flash of a missile in the sky before it makes impact, hitting the Stark Tower with a large  _ BOOM. _

"NO! DAD!" Quake screams. Daniel hooks his hand across her waist and holds her flush against him, before she can do something stupid like run into the burning inferno of a building. She struggles against him, sobbing out, "NO!"

Daniel's heart breaks for her. She starts falling to the ground, dragging him with her, crying softly, "Dad...Dad..."

Then, Quake goes limp in his arms as a white flash hits her, and everything goes dark as he feels himself fall back into the void of nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just kill the Starks and Coulson? I will not confirm nor deny that.
> 
> There's just something so amusing about Daniel's reaches. Now, he's convinced that Tony Stark has a secret daughter named Mary. How far will this insanity go?!
> 
> Next time: Nathaniel Malick is a slimy little weasel. 10/10 would not recommend.
> 
> I'll tell you what. If this fic makes it to 500 kudos or this chapter gets 40 comments, I'll post Ch15 tomorrow. Otherwise, Saturday isn't too long of a wait, is it?
> 
> (I really need to learn how to be patient.)


	15. i know that time's gonna take me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Drugs," Daniel fills in for her. "Haven't been this messed up since the field hospital."
> 
> Quake exhales sharply. Her brain is all muddled. She can't recall if he's already told her this story or not. She doesn't think he has.
> 
> "I want to hea...hear that story when I... I can remember it."
> 
> She doesn't think he responds to her after that, but if he does, she doesn't hear it.
> 
> She feels her body sink, she feels herself lose control of her movement, and she falls back into the void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all sons of bitches really did it. 40 comments.
> 
> No, but really, I'm truly overwhelmed by all the support and love for this fic. I'm really glad y'all are enjoying these two idiots as much as I am.
> 
> Daniel is truly the epitome of the AoS fandom back in S1, when everyone had the most ridiculous theories of who Skye really was. So, whenever you're thinking he's reaching, just go back to when the fandom had taken tiny little lines and went into how Loki was her dad or how they were convinced she was a Tryk Queen covered in vampire blood or those people who thought she was MODOK. No, these are not a joke theories, people really believed it. We were clowns.
> 
> So, Daniel is valid. Probably more valid than 85% of S1 live-watchers. He's just jumping to all the wrong conclusions.

She's in and out of it for a while.

Quake vaguely registers that she's bound up and restrained somewhere. She's in a dangerous position, kidnapped, being held against her will. But before she can truly process anything, she slips back into the vast nothingness.

The first time she manages to have a clear, coherent thought, Daniel is looking down at her.

"Good to see you move," he says, his words slurring together a bit. He seems to be faring a good deal better than she is.

It takes her a minute to shift her body. Remind herself that she exists within one. It feels like an odd out-of-body experience, like she's just witnessing what's happening.

"My head," she manages to get out. She groans. "I can barely..."

She shifts a little bit more while Daniel twists his body to get a better view of her. "Feels like there's cement running through my veins," she mumbles.

She needs to focus. Needs to get out of here.

But she can't even determine where  _ here _ is. She can't think.

"Drugs," Daniel fills in for her. "Haven't been this messed up since the field hospital."

Quake exhales sharply. Her brain is all muddled. She can't recall if he's already told her this story or not. She doesn't think he has.

"I want to hea...hear that story when I... I can remember it."

She doesn't think he responds to her after that, but if he does, she doesn't hear it.

She feels her body sink, she feels herself lose control of her movement, and she falls back into the void.

  
  


-

  
  


Quake feels a decent amount better when she wakes up again. She thinks she actually shifted in and out of consciousness a few times, but never long enough to really register that she's awake.

But now, she can think a little. Daniel peers at her curiously as she moves to sit up. He's sluggish, that's for sure, but not nearly as out of it as she is.

Quake thinks about the Watchdog poison. This is definitely not that, but maybe the science is the same. Maybe it targets super DNA, affecting her more than Daniel.

Jemma would know. Jemma would have answers. Jemma likes tests.

Quake can test this, to an extent. She slowly drags herself towards the chains on her ankles and aims.

Nothing happens.

"I can't quake," she says, filled with panic. She looks up at Daniel. "I can't quake."

She breathes deeply, trying to reign in her dread. If she can't quake...

Suddenly, she remembers  _ everything. _ How she ended up in this mess.

_ Coulson. _

He's  _ dead. _ Blown up along with Stark Tower. Along with Tony and Howard.

And she doesn't even have the energy to cry. Her chest swells painfully as the bile gathers in her throat, but she can't function properly enough to swallow it down or breathe carefully enough to maintain it. It just builds and builds and builds until she cannot stand it anymore.

Daniel looks at her with pity. He's not sure how to respond to her, obviously. She's a barely functioning super.

She wonders if this is how Cal went catatonic for months after Jiaying's death. She can't open her mouth to talk. She wants to scream. Wants to yell. Wants to cry.. Wants to do  _ anything  _ except sit here.

And then Daniel Whitehall steps into the room.

"Oh, good," he says with a small smirk. "You're awake."

Quake lunges

And then  _ nothing. _

Nothing except Daniel Sousa.

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel has to say, he admires her guts.

Quake had no chance of winning that fight. She couldn't quake. She was tightly restrained by carefully-placed chains around her body. She was drugged. She could barely move.

Yet, she still managed to lunge herself at Whitehall.

Not that it went very far, but he can still admire her courage.

As soon as she made contact, Whitehall had gripped her tight. He injected her with something, and for a terrifying moment, Daniel thinks it's more of whatever has got them down in the first place. She was out of it for hours. He's not sure she could survive a second dose.

But whatever it is, it doesn't put her out like a light before. She's more sluggish, more out of it, but she's moving. She's functioning.

Daniel thinks she's in pain.

"What did you do?" he asks firmly, keeping the panic out of her voice.

Whitehall looks...amused. "Be thankful she's drugged for this," he tells him. "She won't have the energy to run against walls."

And with that, Whitehall leaves.

Daniel's blood runs cold as he determines that it's likely some kind of hallucinogen. Something that will make her talk. It's not an uncommon torture tactic.

It starts working quickly. He notices, almost seconds after Whitehall leaves, that Quake seems to be muttering something against the ground. "It happened..." she whispers, "It happened before."

He's at her sides in seconds, even if it means crawling.

"Hey, stay with me," he tells her frantically. "What do you mean this happened before?"

"Jiaying," she answers. 'I ca... Jiaying."

_ Jiaying. _

_ Daisy's mom. _

She had been tortured by Whitehall as well. Years and years ago. He's not sure what Quake would have to do with Jiaying, or Whitehall. And how is Daisy connected?

He barely hesitates before gathering Quake's head and placing her more comfortably in his lap, situating himself in a sitting position against the wall. "Hey, hey, hey. You wanted to hear my story, right?"

She curls into him immediately, which he takes as a yes. His fingers press against her neck, searching for a pulse point as he begins to speak, "Right, well, I think it was, uh, foggy. I can't really remember the hit, but I came to, and my leg was a pulpy mess... and I was completely alone.

"Okay. And then Mike Stephens showed up. And the thing about Mike is he was a resolute ass," Daniel says, laughing lightly. "He would never shut up. He was always bullying the new guys, stole cigs. But that day, he just kept talking to me...carried me back from the line."

He notices Quake drifting off. She can't fall asleep. He doesn't know what kind of damage these drugs are doing to her system. "Hey. Hey. Wake up. Okay? Stay awake, okay?" He shakes her a little bit harder than what would be gentle, but she moves lightly again, signaling she's awake. So, he continues, "For the next couple hours, he stayed with me. When the opposition advanced, when the heat got so bad I thought we would melt, he just kept telling me, 'We are going home'."

Daniel hesitates for a minute. His hand falls against her purple hair, stroking it gently.

"And then at some point, I was in a field stretcher, and, uh...Mike wasn't," he concludes. He sits up a little straighter as he pushes Quake's hair out of the way. "So, consider my yapping as a way of passing on the favor. We are going home, Mary. You hear me? We're going home. But you have got to fight."

  
  


-

  
  


Whitehall returns when Quake's coherent again.

"I know how you feel," he says with a tone of sympathy. "I spent a very long time locked up. Freedom is something I didn't think I'd ever achieve again."

Quake and Daniel both glare at him.

He continues, "Imagine my surprise when Calvin Johnson was put in the cell across from mine a few years ago, for murdering his wife in cold blood. That was especially surprising, of course, because I had thought I was the one to kill her over two decades previously."

Whitehall hums a tune. Somehow, instead of joyful, it is creepy, taunting. The tune is familiar, but Daniel can't quite place it. But whatever it is, it seems to haunt Quake to her core.

"No..." she whispers. "How did you — "

Her eyes little narrow. "Your little psycho," she grits out.

"Psycho? That's unfair," a man that Daniel immediately recognizes as Nathaniel Malick says as he waltzes into the room, "and very well-timed. Wow. Right as I'm walking in. Hi. Nathaniel. We've never officially met."

Quake looks murderous at the sight of the newcomer.

"Bring her in," Nathaniel calls out.

A guard walks in, clutching Kora tightly, with a gun pressed tightly against her neck. Daniel's heart rate speeds up.

He's got Kora.

But where is Daisy?

"Daisy," Kora sobs, looking at Quake. "He killed her. It was him."

Daniel's heart stops.

_ Daisy. _

This psycho killed Daisy.

_ No. _

He hopes, he  _ prays  _ it isn't true. It can't be. Daisy can't be dead. He can't possibly be too late.

Quake seems upset, and even angrier than him. "I'll kill you, you sick son of a bitch," she whispers, her lips curled in a dark sneer. "I swear."

"Move any closer and I'll snap her pretty neck too," Nathaniel chastises as he grabs ahold of Kora and holds her close, grabbing the gun along with. Kora is full-on sobbing. "That'll be the whole family, then, yeah? Can you live with all that blood on your hands?"

The room is hauntingly still for a moment, only Kora's cries penetrating the silence.

"You know, when I first met Kora, she was about to put a bullet through her pretty little skull," he taunts cruelly. "Maybe this would be doing her a favor. Fulfill her wish."

Quake looks down, as if giving up, and in that moment, Daniel hates her. He's enraged at how somehow, this super has managed to uproot his life — of all the lives around her — and cause so much destruction and pain in such a small period of time.

_ Daisy. _

The least Quake could do was fight. And she wasn't even doing that.

("But she's saving Kora," a small, rational voice in his head pleas. He doesn't listen.)

"There we go," Nathaniel says smugly. "That's it. Now, let's talk about what you can do for me."

"I'm not turning you into mush," Quake seethes. "That's about as lucky as you're going to get."

"I think I have a lot more to look forward to," Nathaniel Malick replies, almost looking gleeful. "See, uh, the family business... I dabble, but, um, nothing really spoke to me. Until I met you. Saw what you could do."

"You haven't even seen the half of it," Quake replies.

"I really hope not," Nathaniel says, biting his lip. "And a cool thing to say, by the way. Your whole vibe is just...great."

"That's why you took us hostage," Daniel cuts in, "to find out — "

"'Hostage' would imply that I'm using you as collateral to get what I want when," Nathaniel turns to Quake with a creepy grin, "in fact, everything I want is right here, flowing through your veins."

"This isn't the super serum," Quake scoffs. "This is genetics."

"Yeah, but I'm rich. It, uh, cuts down some barriers," is Nathaniel's quick response. He turns over to Whitehall. "I mean, Dr. Whitehall here has some very helpful tips. What are you always saying? 'Discovery requires experimentation'."

"Discovery requires experimentation," Whitehall repeats proudly. He looks at the back of his hand, then flips it over to his palm, as if inspecting something. "And I've discovered something magnificent."

Whitehall looks at Quake with some kind of nothing look, and Daniel sees her anger building up again.

"I will crush you…"

"Yes. Do it," Nathaniel edges gleefully, handing Kora back over to the guard. "Just one bone shaker, and it's over. Show me what makes you so special."

Quake tries for a while, Daniel thinks. She seemed to be struggling briefly, the strain showing on her face. Eventually, she slumps over and Nathaniel almost looks disappointed.

"See, I think you'll find that I'm not so easy to kill," Whitehall explains.

Daniel feels unsettled. What had Whitehall done? What does Malick want from Quake?

"Take Kora away," he tells the guard. "We got the leverage we needed."

Without a word, the guard whisks her away, her sobs disappearing as she is taken further away from them.

And Nathaniel turns his attention back to Quake.

"The great thing is, once Dr. Whitehall gets that special marker from Captain America, I can get any power I want," Nathaniel answers without question. "He stole dear old Jiaying's. I want yours."

"What more do you want? You killed my father," she grits out.

"Which one?" Nathaniel asks with a small laugh. "It's getting hard to keep track."

Quake breathes heavily for a second and Nathaniel grins. He really needs to stop doing that. His smug face is getting weird.

"Here's how it's gonna go," Nathaniel announces. "You'll come with us, take off that suit of yours — DNA matching, smart, by the way — and you'll let us take that blood of yours."

"Or you'll kill your girlfriend?" Quake asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Nathaniel says, "or  _ he  _ will suck the life out of Danny Boy over there."

Before Daniel can even digest what that possibly could mean, Whitehall presses a hand against his shoulder and suddenly, he cannot breathe.

It feels like his soul is getting sucked out of him. His energy is draining and it hurts  _ so much. _

"STOP!" Quake screams out. "Stop! I'll go with you, okay?"

Whitehall lets Daniel go and he gasps for air. He feels the energy returning to him, but his heart still seems like it's beating out of his chest. He presses his hand against the ground hard, just to feel  _ something. _ To bring himself back to reality.

By the time he surfaces, Quake is gone.

  
  


-

  
  


It feels like an eternity of silence, to him. He hobbles around the cell, hoping to get any sort of clue as to how to escape, what they're doing with Quake, where the others might be held. But the cell is carefully closed off.

Daniel is left to sit and wait.

Wait for what? He wishes he knew.

Until Natasha Romanoff comes in, guns blazing.

"Thank god," Daniel breathes out upon seeing her.

Romanoff is all about business, of course. "Where are the others?" she asks.

"I'm not sure," Daniel answers honestly. "I think Quake's in the lab, if there is one. I don't know about the others."

"How many?" she asks as she starts lockpicking his restraints.

"Quake, Cap, Starburst, Kora, and — "

He almost lists Daisy, but then the harsh reality hits once again. His heart falls and bile rises up his throat.

Daisy's gone.

"And?" Romanoff prompts.

"I think it's just those four," he answers brokenly.

He needs to focus on getting out of here. He promised Daisy he'd save Kora. He needed to follow the mission.

"You seeing anything, Metal Man?" she asks into her comms. Daniel perks up. Could she possibly talking to — 

"That little supernova is lighting up in the northern wing. There's a few other thermal signatures next to her; we can hope it's Cap and Quake," Tony Stark replies.

Tony's alive.

Daniel allows himself a brief moment of happiness at the news. It's one win within this awful day.

His heart drops again as he wonders about Coulson.

If Tony Stark is alive, there was a chance that Howard and Coulson were, too. He'll have to tell Coulson the news about Daisy.

He wants to drops and mourn, but he can't.

_ Save Kora. _

Together, Daniel and Romanoff make their way toward the northern labs. He's dragging a little bit, without a cane to support him, but he can suffer through the pain for this short period of time.

_ Save Kora. _

_ For Daisy. _

Tony leads them through the base carefully. Romanoff fills Daniel in that the suit was damaged in the explosion, but he had managed to save Howard and Coulson in time.

When they finally make it to the labs, Romanoff taps on her comms again. "Stark, you got an exit strategy for us?"

Silence.

"Damn," she curses. "They've blocked comms. "Stay here."

Daniel definitely doesn't want to just sit and wait, but he knows logically he's not in a place to fight. He's still drugged, his prosthetic isn't at full capacity right now, and he's just about ready to collapse.

What the hell had Whitehall done to him?

Agent Romanoff stalks into the labs. She makes quick work of everyone. Daniel hears a series of grunts and groans and smashes.

Then, he feels the quaking.

Daniel hurries into the room, but to his surprise, he doesn't see Quake there.

He sees Nathaniel.

"My bones are cracking," he grits out as Daniel sees the bruises covering his body. And then the roof caves on top of him.

Daniel spins around and sees Steve carefully carrying Quake in his arms. He doesn't seem to be in the best shape either, but he's faring much better than she is.

Daniel swears he sees the purple hair growing for a millisecond. Steve must've just put her mask back on.

"You didn't find Starburst?" Daniel asks. Steve shakes his head.

He looks down at Kora, who is still a mess. Then, he looks at his own leg. He's not going to be nearly as fast without his cane. He grimaces.

"Look, you take Kora and Steve," he tells Agent Romanoff decisively.  _ It's what Daisy would've wanted. _ "Quake and I will be right behind you guys."

Steve looks at Quake, who nods at him slowly through her addled state. Then, he and Romanoff put Kora between them, supporting her weight as they go ahead.

That's one problem out of the way.

"We're not gonna make it out in time," Quake slurs.

Daniel looks at her sharply. "I made you a promise. We are going home."

"Daniel," she replies pathetically, her voice low and barely hanging on, "We can't, we — "

"We will. I came here to save Daisy, but I can't do that," he says thickly. He tries to hold back his tears, but he knows he's failing spectacularly. "I saved her sister, now I just need to save you."

"I'm sorry," she says weakly. "Daisy — "

"I loved her," Daniel tells her miserably, his hands running over his face, trying to calm himself a little. The tears still trickle down.

"You never told me that," Quake whispers.

His head shoots up and his eyes flash with anger. "Why would I tell you? Why would you care? You heard Malick. You got her killed."

Quake is silent after that.

"Daniel," she replies quietly, finally, "you know that's not true."

He shoots her a dark look. "I don't care to go over technicalities," he replies sharply. "She's dead. You're not."

"Look at me," she whispers desperately, gripping his shirt in her fists. "Daniel,  _ look at me. _ I'm right here."

His breath catches as he weighs the words of the girl in front of him. He's wanted to deny what was in front of him for so long, but it's all come to a stop. Right here, right now.

A part of him knew that Daisy wasn't dead. Not really. He thought it was denial, his heart refuting any sort of thought that she might be gone. Instead, it continued to whisper something else.

_ She's right there. _

He steps forward, closer into her grasp.

"Daniel," she whispers again. She faintly presses a shaking hand against his chest. "I'm — right — here."

Daniel reasons that if the scar isn't there, he won't go any further. He wouldn't invade her privacy. And if the mark is there...

Then it just confirms something he suspects she's trying to tell him already.

He looks at Quake as his hand comes up to her cheek and she nods. Her hand comes up his arm, caressing the back of his hand as it reaches her mask. He lifts the side of Quake's mask just slightly, and right under the inner-edge, he sees the light scar on her upper cheekbone.

Suddenly, Daniel remembers the earlier tune vividly.

_ Daisy, Daisy give me your heart to do. _

_ I'm half crazy, hopeful in love with you. _

"Daisy," he chokes out, his thumb swiping her cheek tenderly. It's Daisy. Daisy's  _ alive. _ Daisy's  _ Quake. _ He lets out a sob of relief and shock as he holds her close. His fingers tangle in her hair, his face dropping to the crook of her shoulder. "Daisy," he whispers almost in a plea, like she's his whole world.

"Daniel," she mumbles against his neck faintly, and then she presses against her mask softly.

Quake passes out in his arms as her disguise falls away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I surprised you a little bit. A tiny bit? Just a sliver?
> 
> In an early version of this fic, the reveal was actually even more angsty. It involved Quake "dying" in an explosion and when Daniel went to Simmons to see where Daisy went, she dissolves in a puddle of tears. Quake's body is pulled out of the wreckage, her mask comes off to show Daisy, and that's how Daniel finds out.
> 
> Obviously, the fic ended up going in a different direction. I like this reveal overall, because Daisy had slightly more of a say in it, and also, it gives Daniel a little more reaction than SHE'S DEAD. I did, however, want to keep the angst of Daniel thinking that Daisy was dead. Because, as you know, I love pain.
> 
> Who knows. Maybe I'm working on a side fic of all the alternative ways the reveal could have gone.
> 
> Anyways...
> 
> Next time: Both Daisy and Daniel deal with the aftermath of the reveal. How will our favourite idiot react?
> 
> (He reaches some more. This must all be an elaborate trick. Quake isn't actually Daisy. She's just a lookalike.)
> 
> No challenge this time because y'all deserve to SUFFER. See you Sunday!


	16. everything i hold dear resides in those eyes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knows.
> 
> She told him that she's Quake, because she's a lovesick idiot who couldn't stand how sad he looked. Now, she's handcuffed to the bed in front of the West Coast Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D.
> 
> She's fucked. She's so fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well.
> 
> You're all so confident that Daniel actually knows. Who's to say this pea-brain doesn't come up with some wild conspiracy theory to convince himself that Daisy is not Quake?

When Daisy wakes up, the first thing she notices is Daniel Sousa sitting by her bedside.

How long had he been there? Was he watching her sleep? Why was he looking at her like that?

The second thing she notices is that she's handcuffed to the bed with power inhibitors.

Given the stern expression on his face and the way he has his arms crossed, she has a gut feeling that this isn't some kind of weird kink thing.

Then, it all comes flooding back.

He knows.

She told him that she's Quake, because she's a lovesick idiot who couldn't stand how sad he looked. Now, she's handcuffed to the bed in front of the West Coast Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D.

She's fucked. She's so fucked.

Daisy stares at him, willing him to speak first. There's not really much she can do to talk herself out of this, especially as she notices her mask on the nightstand. He knows. He's not going to un-know.

_ Shit. _

"You're awfully quiet," Daniel finally says. "I wouldn't want to talk either, if I was in your shoes."

"Why am I handcuffed?" she fires back. She can't feel the buzzing in her bones that she's clung onto for years. It feels like a part of her has been severed. She had hoped the only time she'd feel like this was in Malick's cell.

He raises an eyebrow. "Why do you think?"

"It's not like I'm going to hurt you," she tells him honestly. "You  _ know  _ me."

"That's rich," he laughs humorlessly. "That's rich, coming from you. I had your back for months, while you were waiting to plant a knife in mine."

"Daniel — "

"What? You want to pretend we're still friends? We're lovers? You want to talk? Talk about this," Daniel says, pushing his hand next to the mask for good measure.

Daisy winces at the action.

"You've got just about everyone vouching for you," he continues. "Cap, Stark, Coulson..."

(Daisy feels her chest clench with relief at those names. They're alive? They're all alive.)

"But I can't see how you could keep this from me," Daniel finishes.

"Why wouldn't I?" she replies firmly. "You made it clear that you just wanted to lock me up!"

Daniel recoils suddenly. "You know that's not what I said. I was just trying to help."

"Help, yeah, by restraining me with power inhibitors that hurt me?" she shoots hotly, rolling her eyes.

His eyes immediately soften, regretful. Gently, he asks, "They hurt you?"

"I don't expect you to understand," she says harshly. "Imagine a part of you being ripped away."

"Like an amputated leg?" he retorts, still soft.

Daisy blinks. "Yeah, okay, maybe you do understand."

Daniel hesitates before leaning over her a little. She thinks, wildly, that he might kiss her, but instead he asks, "Promise you won't run?"

She nods slowly and that seems to reassure him enough to under the inhibitor cuffs. She gasps as the feeling of her powers rushes back to her.

"Thank you," she whispers as she massages her arms lightly.

He looks down at her with a frown as he leans back.

  
  


-

  
  


(Daniel didn't know what to think.

When Daisy first appeared in his arms, the first thing he felt was  _ relief. _

He had thought that Daisy was dead. That she had been murdered by that psycho. He hadn't had the time to truly process it, but the grief still consumed his body. Then, suddenly, she was alive. In his arms, safe from harm.

Well, mostly.

The second thing he felt was  _ worry. _

Daniel didn't know what they had done to her. She was passed out in his arms. She hadn't been doing well since they arrived there. Malick and Whitehall had pumped her up with so many drugs and obviously, it had gotten to her. He didn't know whether or not they managed to take what they needed. Who knew if they were planning to keep her alive when they were done with her.

Panic seized him and he carried her out of there. His prosthetic plead against it but Daniel pushed on, Daisy delicately in his arms. He didn't stop until he got outside, when Tony and Romanoff had taken her from his arms and loaded her up in the jet. He had collapsed onto his knees in exhaustion.

Captain America had come to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

He knew.

All along, he knew it was Daisy.

Everyone knew.

Everyone except him.

So, the third thing Daniel felt was  _ anger. _

He had trusted Daisy more than anyone. He probably shouldn't have, given the fact that he had met her when she was breaking into his goddamn office, but something about her drew him in. She immediately wormed her way into his heart and soul, and he didn't even hesitate in letting her in. He  _ welcomed _ it.

And it had all been lies.)

  
  


-

  
  


"Was any of it real?" he asks thickly, avoiding her eyes.

Daisy looks up at him, her mouth open in shock. He thought...he thought it wasn't real? That everything had been a lie?

He puts his head in his hands with a deep, pained exhale and Daisy's chest tightens as she realizes that he's taking her lack of a response as a no.

"All of it was real," she tells him almost desperately. "I only lied to you about the Quake thing. I swear."

He lifts his head up slowly, his eyes filled with so much pain that she thinks he may still doubt her, but she looks deeper and sees that twinkle he gets when he believes her. She lets out a relieved sigh.

"Why didn't you turn yourself into S.H.I.E.L.D? To me?" Daniel asks.

Daisy bites her lip. "I've told you why."

"No," he corrects. "You've told me why Quake wouldn't tell the organization. You haven't told me why you — Daisy — wouldn't tell me."

It's a loaded question, that's for sure. A part of her knew that Daniel would've accepted her. If she told him early on, right after the base break-in and Steve's departure, he would've worked with her. She would've gotten a stern talking-to about her methods, but Daniel would've let her stay, would've helped her.

But, truthfully, she was afraid.

For once, she had someone who  _ saw _ her. Someone who seemed to understand her fundamentally, who trusted her, who believed in her. He didn't see her as a freak. He didn't need to see her quaking bones into splinters and thrusting cars down three blocks to know that she was strong and capable. Yet, he stood by her, and was there for her. He was always ready to pick her back up if she needed it, and he didn't even know what for. He just did it.

Daniel admitted he loved her when he thought she was dead. She believed it without hesitation. It's why she had to tell him. In her addled state, she had never seen anything so clear and vivid. She  _ had _ to tell him the truth about her.

"I was scared," she finally admitted. "At first, I was scared that you would lock me up. And as it went on, the longer I kept it from you, I was scared that you would look at me like you're looking at me now."

Like he didn't trust her. Not the way that he used to.

"Are you going to turn me in?" Daisy asks after he's silent for too long for her liking.

"No," Daniel replies after a beat. He isn't looking her in the eye, though.

"I'm not turning myself in," she clarifies firmly.

"Okay," is all he answers.

She doesn't know what to think about that. It feels like maybe they're at an impasse, but also, they just confirmed they're in full agreement.

Quake isn't going to end up on S.H.I.E.L.D's records. Not anytime soon.

  
  


-

  
  


("I mean, I suspected she was hiding something, but not this," Daniel had admitted to Steve in the jet, as Tony desperately looked over Daisy's vitals.

_ Mary. _

He had thought her name was  _ Mary. _

He had thought a lot of things, over the past two months. He feels embarrassed, that he had let so much slip past him. He had the truth in his hands so many times, and he let it fall from his fingers and back into the void. He felt like an idiot.

"She wanted to tell you," Steve had responded. "She was just afraid to."

Daniel doubted that. Daisy didn't seem to be afraid of anything.

She had chosen to lie to him.

What sucks the most is, despite all of it, he still loves her.)

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy thinks that, despite his silence and forlorn expression, that their conversation has reached a point where she can move around freely without him like, pointing a gun and telling her to keep or hands up or something.

Her whole body aches — her arms especially. What she remembers from the lab is dim and fuzzy, but the recollection of the pain she felt is clear. They had cut into her, drained her blood, messed with her powers. Her bones had cracked and splintered from the force of her quakes without her gauntlets.

She may be used to the pain in her arms, but she still hates the feeling.

"Uh," she starts slowly, "is there any gauze around? Anything I can use to wrap my arms?"

He blinks at her, a little confused, before quickly going to retrieve a roll of gauze. He meets her halfway, at the counter. She rolls up her sleeves, just a little, and his eyes widen as he sees the myriad of bruises covering her forearms.

"Malick had said his bones were cracking," he says quietly. "I just thought..."

"It happens when I don't have the gauntlets," Daisy clarifies. She winces as she pulls the gauze apart, gripping it in her palm as she begins to wrap.

Daniel watches her curiously for a minute and she tries to keep her expression blank. Her eyes twitch lightly with each time she has to twist her hand uncomfortably to wrap the gauze around. She bites her lip, trying to hide the pain —

Daniel notices anyway. Of course he does. He places his hand on hers, stopping her action, and then he holds onto the gauze.

He looks into her eyes, just to confirm.

Daisy hesitates for the briefest moment before nodding her head. He takes the gauze in one hand and takes her arm in the other. Her other hand falls limp on the counter.

He begins to methodically wrap the gauze around her hand, but pulls a little too tightly. She flinches and Daniel pauses. He grimaces, looking regretful.

After a second, he resumes, but more gently. "Sorry."

Daisy shakes her head softly. "No, no, it's okay. It's gonna hurt," she says softly, "but it's nicer when someone else does it."

He looks at her, and suddenly, she realizes how close they are. They're a breath's width apart. If she just stood on her tip-toes, her lips would press against his —

He looks back down, and resumes spinning the gauze around her arm methodically once more.

"What happened?" Daisy asks. "With Malick?"

Daniel swallows. "The roof fell on him," he tells her, "but Stark couldn't find a body after."

She closes her eyes, embracing the pain of Daniel's work for a second. It anchors her to rational thought. She wants to kill Nathaniel Malick. And Daniel Whitehall. She wants to crush their bones and watch the life leave their eyes as her powers hollow out their faces.

She takes a minute to admire him as he continues to wrap her hands, enjoying the moment. She's not used to someone caring for her like this. She thinks she likes it. She certainly appreciates it. It's mesmerizing — staring at where his hands are caressing her own, so tender.

"So, the Starks are alive?"

"And Coulson," Daniel adds softly. "Tony got to his suit just in time." She gives him a small smile at the confirmation. "They're looking after Kora. Coulson wanted to be there for you, too, but..."

But Daniel was keeping her prisoner. She gets it.

It still hurts.

She quickly pulls her hands away and turns around before the tears have a chance to well up in her eyes. She works on the gauze quickly and harshly. But it's only for the briefest second before —

"Hey, hey, stop. Let me do that." He jumps in front of Daisy and, once again, gently grasps her hands. It's just enough to get her to stop her frenzy. She looks into his eyes to see him gazing back at her, intense and —

He looks down at her hands and continues to wrap them. It's even softer than before, if that's possible. "You saved us all. Multiple times, actually. You deserve someone to take care of your injuries, at least."

She almost nearly leans forward to kiss him right there, but stops herself. He's still mad. He probably hates her. She lied to him; he has every reason to.

Instead, she settles for: "Thank you."

He switches hands.

Neither of them speak for the rest of the time he delicately takes care of her damaged arms. She wants desperately to say something,  _ anything,  _ about how sorry she is that he was ever put into this position. She tries not to think about how she subjected him to this. She pursued their relationship.

  
  


-

  
  


(Stark had Daisy and Kora on medical support for only a few hours. They had needed some blood and electrolytes, but their super DNA should have her healing fairly quickly.

Steve and Romanoff were headed out soon after.

"Howard has been studying the drive," Steve had explained. "There's a lot there, but he thinks he found something big."

"Cap and I are going to meet up with a few friends in D.C," Natasha had continued. "Thr Watchdogs are everywhere; we're all going to need to be careful."

With that, they were off.

Oh, and Kora is Starburst, which Daniel should've guessed.

As soon as Daisy was fit to be removed from I.V. support, Daniel had taken her to his safe house. Coulson and Tony had protested, but Daniel confirmed with them that her health was secure.

He needed to have a chat with Quake. Alone.)

  
  


-

  
  


They're brought back to reality when she feels the uncomfortable sensation of the gauze being tightly wound as a finish. Daniel is grimacing, knowing it must be painful, but she doesn't say anything. She doesn't even flinch this time.

He looks up at her carefully, gauging her reaction. She gives him the smallest of smiles and he smiles softly in return. He lifts both her hands to his mouth and presses a kiss to her exposed fingers. Her breath hitches and tingles run down her body. The look he sends her afterward renders her speechless.

"I am sorry," Daisy says quietly, not knowing what else to say, "for lying to you."

Then, Daniel presses his lips to hers tenderly. It's meant as a promise, as an apology, as a confession. He's been consumed by so many emotions since finding out the truth, she knows it.

He pulls away quickly, to look in her eyes for confirmation. His expression tells her everything she needs to know.

She drags him forward to press her lips to his again and he responds eagerly, his hands coming to her hips. He kisses her like he's drowning and she's his salvation, like he has a million promises to carve into her skin. His kisses are desperate and loving and wanting and she returns it with as much passion and enthusiasm.

Oh, she thinks she might love this man.

"Your hands," he interrupts regretfully, still holding onto the gauze.

"It's fine," she responds quickly, throwing the gauze away from reach. She pulls him back into another kiss.

"But your arms — "

"This is making me feel so much better," she says impatiently as she nibbles on his lower lip. He gets the hint, thankfully, and goes back to kissing her with his all, albeit holding her arms gently.

She thinks she might cry, with the intensity of his mouth, yet the softness of his touch. He's caressing her arms with the most tender touch, as if trying to soothe her, while his tongue is thrust into her mouth. The contrast is amazing and she feels herself being overloaded with senses. It's almost too much.

She drags her arms away from his to wrap around his neck and pull him closer.

"I know we never got that drink," Daisy gasps out between kisses, "but — "

Daniel chuckles against her skin before pulling away to look her in the eye. "Daisy, I thought you were dead earlier," he tells her thickly, pushing her hair out of her face tenderly. "I don't think I can wait any longer."

"Oh, thank god," Daisy breathes as she lunges for him again and he responds in kind, leaning into her. Being mindful of his leg, she pulls him gently along until they reach the bed. She pushes him down and straddles him quickly, and Daniel's hands immediately skim up her sides as he lifts up her shirt gently to grip the bare skin of her waist.

She feels her body tingle at the touch as she slants her lips over his, continuing to deepen the kiss. She nips at his lower lip and feels his groan vibrate through her body. He pulls away quickly and she tries to reach for his lips once more, but he's quick to place them at the corner of her jaw, kissing a trail down her neck as he pulls her shirt off slowly.

Daniel pulls away then, his eyes glazed over with pure adoration and admiration. It's still lustful, yes, but it's consumed with pure love first and foremost.

"I think I might love you," Daisy admits as he kisses her softly between her breasts.

He looks up at her with a soft smile. "Well, that's good, because I definitely love you."

He presses a kiss above her heart and she groans at the feeling, her hand tangling into his hair roughly. Even though she's definitely enjoying his tongue's exploration of her exposed skin, she can't help but tug his head back up to kiss him sweetly against his lips.

"You're a dork," she tells him against his lips, with a little bit of a laugh.

"Whatever you say," he whispers, "Quake."

Something about the tone in his voice makes her freeze. "I'm sorry, what now?"

"Nothing," he says with a hint of mischief. "Just happy to please you, Quake."

Daisy bites her lip and leans back to give him an incredulous look. "Are you being funny?"

He gives her an innocent look as his fingers slowly move down her sides. "Is it funny? Not if that's what you like to be called, Quake."

"I..." she trails off, and Daniel leans in to kiss her neck. "Wait, hey, the press called me that. I never — "

"You know, you should probably put a 'Q' on your utility belt so people know it's you," he teases and his fingers brush against her lower stomach, right where her utility belt buckle would go. Daisy inhales sharply as the feeling pools hotly in her belly.

His fingers linger there, right at the opening of her pants, teasing her, and she pulls slightly away. "That is really smart, yeah," she tells him, holding back a laugh, and pokes his chest pointedly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, make fun of the person who can literally turn you to dust."

"Yeah, you can quake me." Daniel's hand moves a little lower, into her inner thigh and she lets out a little gasp, unwilling to speak anymore. He continues, "I get it, that's why they call you that."

"I'll show you quaking," she groans as she tries to push him down into the bed.

But he surprises her by flipping her around, pressing her into the mattress firmly. "We'll see who's quaking in a minute," he growls out, pushing her pants over her hips.

Daisy's so shocked by his words for a brief second that she forgets to help him with the pants. Instead, she begins to laugh. "You did not just say that," she wheezes. But then Daniel's fingers graze against her through her underwear and her amusement melts away, her laughter quickly turning into a loud moan.

Daniel looks back at her smugly, his eyebrows raising in challenge, daring her to say something else. "Shut up," she mutters and he smiles as he kisses her bare inner thigh before moving slightly upward.

Daisy's eyes roll back as she lets herself be consumed by pleasure that runs through her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you saw me plagiarizing another one of my fics, unsee it. It never happened.
> 
> Another Quake reveal idea — Daniel finds out when he and Daisy have sex and her powers break half the room apart.
> 
> Next time: We get back to some actual plot. Because, unfortunately, we can't have four chapters of them just fucking.
> 
> I _am_ working on a side fic of alternate reveals, so feel free to add your ideas to the comments. I'm still figuring out some details (I think it will be a long one-shot), but it should be up before this fic is officially over. Or right after. We'll see.


	17. i wanna be king in your story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy frowns. "Sorry," she says. "I wasn't sure if I was still..."
> 
> "Still?" Daniel prompts her to continue.
> 
> "A prisoner," she finishes. "But I wanted to grab a few things."
> 
> He frowns just a little as he steps closer. "You're not a prisoner," he tells her. "I was just worried that you left me. Not S.H.I.E.L.D, me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed the update yesterday! I had some things going on that kind of intercepted with my plans.
> 
> But a LOT happens in this chapter, so...enjoy.

Daisy wakes up feeling more refreshed than she has in ages. Her naked body is sprawled over Daniel's — her leg is thrown over his, her breasts flush against his chest, her head buried in the crook of his neck, his hand caressing the small of her back.

(She thinks about the previous night. They made love, for lack of a better explanation. She's not sure if she's ever felt so connected to someone during sex. The way he slowly moved up into her, tantalizingly measured, as her hips rolled against his, with his lips worshipping her, his mouth whispering praises and promises against her skin. She saw stars as she came apart above him, his teeth sinking into the skin of her shoulder.)

She leans up a little, remaining their positions, but lifting her head to admire the content smile on his face as he blinks awake.

"Hi," he says sleepily.

"Hey, yourself," she replies, unable to stop the smile on her face from growing.

"So," he starts, craning his neck a little to face her, "did I make you quake last night?"

Daisy doubles over laughing, burying herself back in the crook of his neck. She feels as his body vibrates with laughter as well. "I can't believe  _ that _ is the first thing you say," she gets out as she surfaces for air.

He looks at her with a smug smile and a raised eyebrow and asks, "Are you going to quake me again?"

(She vividly remembers quaking him against the bed while flipping them over after he had made her see stars with his head between her legs. His eyes had darkened, and in that moment, she realized that he was into that.

Quaking had turned him on.)

"I would," she replies slyly, "but I think we have somewhere to be."

"It can wait," he mumbles as his hands wander along her body, his mouth finding her ear. He sucks the lobe between his teeth and Daisy hand trail down his chest.

"You make a compelling argument," she tells him. "You know, I never thought the old-fashioned guy would be so insatiable."

Daniel pulls her lips to his and kisses her softly, his hand caressing the back of her neck. "I love you," he whispers as he pulls away gently. "I love you so much."

Daisy kisses him again, not being able to speak the words out loud quite yet — not any more than what she had said the previous night — and proceeds to show him instead.

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel panics only a little when he comes out of the shower to realize that Daisy is nowhere to be found.

She wouldn't leave him, right? Not after everything.

(Correction: He panics a lot.)

He nearly jumps out of his skin when the door opens and Daisy walks in with coffee, breakfast, and...is that a..?

"There you are!" he cries out.

Daisy frowns. "Sorry," she says. "I wasn't sure if I was still..."

"Still?" Daniel prompts her to continue.

"A prisoner," she finishes. "But I wanted to grab a few things."

He frowns just a little as he steps closer. "You're not a prisoner," he tells her. "I was just worried that you left me. Not S.H.I.E.L.D, me."

He helps her set aside the breakfast and coffee so he can hold her hands. There's just something about the weight of her palms against his that he finds so addictive. He never wants to let go.

"I wouldn't leave like that," she promises. Then, after a second, she guiltily amends, "Well, not  _ you. _ S.H.I.E.L.D, maybe."

Not wanting to get into all that again, Daniel nods toward the item she brought with her.

A cane.

"Is that for me?" he asks lightly.

"Oh!" she exclaims, shoving the cane in his hands clumsily. "I thought you would need something after we lost your last one." He swears Daisy actually blushes. "I totally get it if you use some super cool one that Fitz or Tony make or something but I thought..."

"It's perfect," he interjects with a smile. Because truthfully, it is. If he wanted a fancy electronic cane, he would've asked for one years ago. He likes the old-fashioned canes. Hell, he could've asked for a better prosthetic, if he wanted to. It just wasn't necessary. But Daisy taking the time and energy to go out and pick out something for him made his heart swell in a way it hasn't before. "It's cool."

She raises an eyebrow, as if trying to be more sauvé than her shy smile is letting on, but it doesn't full him. "Cool?"

"Yeah," he replies, smirk on his face. "Cool."

He kisses her softly then, in thanks. The boundaries of their relationship are still unspoken, but he thinks that she wouldn't object to a nice kiss.

She definitely doesn't.

Her hands come up to his neck and pull him in closer. She grins against his lips.

"I'm glad you like it," she says sincerely. She nozzles her nose against his lightly.

Daniel closes his eyes, embracing the moment. Then, he opens them. "Can I ask you something?"

Daisy pulls away, still grinning. "Yeah?"

"What did Kora mean," Daniel starts slowly, "when she said Malick killed 'her'?"

Daisy frowns. "Jiaying," she answers quietly. "He was the one who killed Jiaying, not Cal. And he killed Cal, too. He's been planning this for years."

He grips onto her hand tightly. "I'm sorry."

She looks him in the eyes, and he sees an expression he's never seen on Daisy before — only Quake's. Vengeance.

"I'm gonna put that son of a bitch down," she says through her teeth.

Daniel brushes his thumb lightly against her palm in a soothing motion. "Daisy," he replies thickly, "he's already dead. We watched him go down."

"No," she argues, shaking her head. "He's not dead. I can  _ feel _ it."

This makes Daniel pause. He doesn't think anyone could survive that kind of damage, but Malick  _ is _ a super now. Daisy herself had admitted that she breaks her own bones from time to time. Her hands already seem to be doing better, he notes as he runs his hands up and down her arms delicately. It's possible.

"Look, I have to get to D.C," Daniel responds after a moment. "I'll keep an eye out for Malick. If he's alive, he's probably getting back in business immediately."

"D.C?" Daisy questions. "Why are we going to D.C?"

" _ I'm  _ going to D.C," he clarifies quickly. "You're going back to L.A."

She frowns. "But what's in D.C?"

Daniel grits his teeth for a second. "It's classified," he answers firmly.

Daisy pulls out of his embrace quickly, hurt flashing across her face. "You still don't trust me, do you?"

"Of course, I trust you," Daniel tells her, a little exasperated. "But this goes beyond that. You just don't have the clearance level."

"Fuck clearance levels!" Daisy snaps. He gives her a sharp look because  _ language _ but she continues, "Everything's falling apart. Who cares about clearance levels anymore?"

She may have a point. She's one of the few people that he trusts implicitly, even after  _ everything. _

Maybe he's a fool in love. Or maybe she's such a good-hearted person that he just  _ knows _ that she would always do the right thing — even if it's not necessarily what he wants her to do.

And Peggy wants him to be Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. one day, right? This is partially his decision to make.

"Okay," he agrees. "We need to get to D.C."

  
  


-

  
  


Turns out, as they quickly find when they get to D.C, that Nick Fury is alive.

They probably should've seen that coming.

A small crowd gathers at the site, all being provided the same coordinates. Other than Quake, Daniel sees Agent Romanoff, Agent Maria Hill, and Steve, as well as Peggy and her cousin, Sharon Carter. Sharon is the handler for the Falcon, a.k.a. Sam Wilson, who is also there.

"I thought you said you watched him die on the table," Daniel exclaims at Steve. He shrugs.

Steve looks about as confused as everyone else.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache," Fury lists.

"Don't forget your collapsed lung," the doctor pipes up.

"Oh, let's not forget that," Fury adds. "Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open, your heart stopped," Romanoff says quietly.

"Tetrodotoxin B," Fury answers. "Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asks.

Maria Hill, the only agent who doesn't seem utterly confused, speaks up, "Any attempt on the Chief's life had to look successful."

"Can't kill you if you're already dead," Fury adds lightly. "Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust."

Peggy scoffs at that. "Even the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Yeah," Daniel interjects unhappily. "I've been looking into the Watchdogs for years. You didn't even think to come to me with all this?"

Fury levels him with an unimpressed look. "I'll be honest, I thought you were a nutcase. Carter did too," Fury says. Peggy looks down, ashamed, not meeting Daniel's eyes. "Until suddenly, she didn't. That's what made me suspicious. Started looking into things myself."

"Find out about Pierce, then?" Peggy asks.

"Wait, Pierce?" Sam asks, his eyebrows raising up. Fury shoots him a look and he quiets down.

"More like he found out about me," Fury says with a hint of irritation. He looks at a photo of Pierce with a scowl. "This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, 'Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility'," Fury says bitterly. "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

Daniel raises an eyebrow. He's not wrong. Pierce is one of the top dogs of the government. He's got a clean record. Everyone, no matter their political affiliation, seems to love him. Until Daisy told him about his part of the Watchdogs, Daniel had agreed.

You really can't trust anyone.

"How'd you get all this information?" Quake asks suddenly. "I've been digging into Pierce — and S.H.I.E.L.D. — for years. You managed to figure out everything in...what? A month?"

"I had a source," Fury replies cryptically.

"What source?" Sharon prompts. "Who do you have inside the Watchdogs?"

Fury is quiet for a minute. "Have you ever heard of the Winter Soldier?"

Silence.

Then, suddenly, the entire room is in uproar.

"The terrorist?" — "The supervillain?" — "He tried to assassinate Howard Stark!" — "He murdered Maria!" — "Wait, isn't that guy a myth?" — "He nearly killed me!"

"QUIET!" Peggy screams after a minute of chaos. The room silences immediately. "Let him speak."

"Thank you, Peggy," Fury says with a raised eyebrow. "The Winter Soldier is very real. The Director here knows it."

Peggy's lips turns into a very fine line as she frowns. "Howard and I had heard that the government was doing some...unorthodox experiments with a new super-serum after we denied them a sample."

Steve quickly turns to Peggy, almost looking betrayed. "There's another super-serum soldier?"

"Makes sense," Sam says, pensieve. "The military were the ones who gave me the wings."

"Yeah, but you were a super before," Sharon points out. "The government making a brand new super is something different."

"That's what she thought," Fury corrects. "But it wasn't the military. It was actually the Watchdogs."

Now, it was Peggy's turn to quickly look over. "What?!"

"The Watchdogs were all about hating supers and taking them down," he explains. "There were some that were interested in studying superpowers, but they were a small minority. They all started singing a different tune when they found out about the super-serum."

"Of course," Daisy sighs. "Just a jealous bunch of shits."

Everyone blinks at her. Daniel scrunches his nose.

Fury laughs. "I like this one."

"So, if the Watchdogs made the Winter Soldier, explains his terrorism," Romanoff interrupts. "But how is he your source?"

"It's complicated," Fury answers, his jaw slack. "I had to deprogram him. The Watchdogs reset him right after — he's unstable. We can't count on him."

"So, he was brainwashed?" Daniel asks. "Who was this guy?"

"Everyone who knew about him just thought he went rogue," Peggy says, looking a little guilty. "I had no idea — "

"No one did," Daniel tells her.

"You don't understand," she replies, tears filling her eyes. But she's not looking at Daniel — she's looking at Steve. "Howard watched his wife die in front of him, and then he looked the Winter Soldier in the eyes..."

She trails off, unable to continue.

"What is it, Peg?" Steve asks worriedly.

She reaches out for him, almost desperately. Daniel doesn't think he's ever seen her like this, in all of the time they've been together — colleagues, friends, partners, lovers...

Fury sighs and pulls up a file. He throws it on the table. Daniel and Quake step forward to look at it.

"I'm so sorry, Steve," Peggy whispers.

Daniel looks at the photo.

"Hell," he says.

_ Bucky Barnes. _

(Daniel had met Bucky Barnes on a few occasions. He knew that Bucky had been one of the candidates for Project Rebirth. He was Steve's best friend since childhood. Bucky was a good friend and a good soldier — he'd follow Captain America anywhere.

Even into death.

He had died horrifically, falling from a helicopter after a rescue. Steve had tried to hold on, but he slipped through his fingers.

No body was ever found.

Now, Daniel knew why.)

"You knew," Steve utters in Peggy's direction, after the shock wears off. "You knew he was alive."

"He was a terrorist," Peggy protests softly. Her heart's not really in it, though. "I thought it would be better if you didn't know. To keep your memories of Bucky pure."

"He was brainwashed!" he nearly shouts back.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know that!" Peggy retorts. She huffs and rubs her face. Daniel knows it's to hide the tears that just fell.

Daniel finds himself looking at Quake. Lying to save a loved one from the pain. That's what she had done, time and time again.

He understands.

He finds his hand reaching for hers and grips it, and she tightens her hold back. It's almost reassuring, to be touching her. It reminds him that she's here. She's okay. She's with him. Not just physically, but in all the ways that matters. She's not turning her back, and he isn't either.

"Look," Fury interrupts as things calm down. A rift seems to have formed between Peggy and Steve, but they're both still there. Steve's got his head in his hands, processing the news of the Winter Soldier. "The best way to out the Watchdogs is to — "

"Out the super-serum," Quake fills in. Fury looks up at her and nods slowly.

"We'll expose the truth of their experiments and then maybe we can salvage Captain America's image — "

Steve stands up quickly. "We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the Watchdogs, Nick, we're taking down S.H.I.E.L.D."

"To hell we are!" Peggy objects.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing to do with it," Fury defends.

"You want to out my secret, these are my terms," Steve replies firmly. "You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. S.H.I.E.L.D's been compromised. Watchdogs grew right under our noses and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave?" Fury retorts. "I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did?" Steve fires back.

"Look, we didn't know about Barnes," Peggy says regretfully. "If we had known he was brainwashed earlier — "

"Even if you have, would you have told me?" Steve replies cooly. "Or would you have compartmentalized that too?"

After a minute, Fury agrees quietly, "Okay."

"Hold on," Daniel injects. They can't take down S.H.I.E.L.D. It was his life. "We can't take it all down. Who will be there to look after the supers?"

"Would any of this even be an issue if S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't meddled in the first place?" Quake replies with a pointed look.

"Yes!"

"Look, Captain America will go down," Sharon says. "But that doesn't mean that S.H.I.E.L.D. has to. We'll just have to answer to that."

"The public won't trust us after they find out," Romanoff points out.

"It'll be up to them, then."

"Okay," Steve agrees. "The public will decide."

  
  


-

  
  


They come up with a solid plan.

  1. Break into the Triskelion.
  2. Confront Pierce.
  3. Leak all the files of Project Rebirth and all of the Watchdog's experiments after that.
  4. At the same time, Watchdog bases around the world would be raided.



Okay, so maybe it's not the most solid plan, but it works. It's about as certain of a plan as they can get for such an uncertain mission.

Daisy isn't sure if they're doing the right thing. It would certainly result in the takedown of the Watchdogs on an official level, but they'll continue on under the shadows. There's no doubt about that. And if S.H.I.E.L.D. goes down with it...

It'll be up to the supers to keep things under control.

Her and Daniel end up on the doorstep of the Stark safe house.

Safe house is kind of an odd word for it. It's really a giant mansion. There's nothing obscure about it, except for the fact that it was purchased under a different name. It's not tied officially to the Stark family, but everything about it screams "rich man lives here".

They need to get the Starks in on the plan. Howard was the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. — he deserves to know how he'll probably be tried for crimes against humanity when the truth comes out.

Instead, Daisy is met when the stricken face of Kora at the door.

"I didn't know," Kora tells her in panic. "I didn't know he was gonna do that."

"Hey, hey," Daisy soothes. "It's okay."

But then she sees the grim faces of Coulson and Tony, and Daisy realizes with a start that Kora isn't apologizing for her past misdeeds. There's something else going on.

"What is it?" Daniel asks.

Coulson sighs and then turns on the T.V.

_ A NEW QUAKE? _ the lower third reads.

Daisy's heart drops.

She should've expected this. She knew Nathaniel Malick was alive. She knew he would come back to haunt her.

Then, she realizes how this is so, so much worse than she could have imagined.

The newscast is from Los Angeles.

"A new Quake seems to be terrorizing the residents of Los Angeles," the reporter says. The footage cuts to obviously not-Daisy tearing streets apart and taking down buildings. He flies through the air, wrecking havoc as Ghost Rider chases after him.

"Fuck," Daisy breathes out.

Coulson grimaces. "That's not it."

The reporter continues, "This afternoon, the new supervillain broadcasted a chilling message for Quake."

The footage cuts to a recording and Nathaniel Malick's masked face comes into view.

"Quake!" he says with a large grin. "These powers are pretty neat, huh? Thanks for that. Now, we have some unfinished business, don't we?"

Daisy feels a chill go down her spine.  _ That weasley son of a bitch. _ Daniel seems to notice how tense she is and reaches for her hand. She grips it desperately, as if it's the only thing anchoring her to the earth. She needs something to ground her right now.

Nathaniel's expression becomes more serious. "You have twenty-four hours before I turn L.A. into a crater, with your friend in it."

He pans the camera and Daisy's heart stops as she sees the bruised and bloody person come into focus on the screen.

"Funny thing about hostages," Nathaniel says with a slight hint of amusement. "This time, I am using collateral."

The bastard has Jemma.

And she's strapped to a nuclear bomb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's a lot to digest. TWS + AoS S7.
> 
> Next time: Plans change. Or, well, are diverted.
> 
> I guess since we're almost at the end of the fic, I'll do another challenge. Kind of like a last hurrah of sorts. 50 comments and I'll post tomorrow!


	18. i know that day's gonna come.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He savors the feel of her lips against his, committing her gentle touch to memory. Everything about today is high-risk; there's a good chance they may never see each other again — whether it's because L.A. gets obliterated or all of S.H.I.E.L.D. gets arrested for their conspiracies. There's no telling how things will shape out.
> 
> There's only this moment. Here and now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post yesterday, because even though you didn't fulfill the challenge, it's all just a smokescreen for my own impatience. I think that's safe to admit, now that we're almost at the end. I just think that Chapter 18/19 work well together consecutively.
> 
> This chapter kind of functions as the first segment of a two-parter, essentially. We got the rise and a cliffhanger of sorts. Enjoy the pain!

It takes a while, but eventually, Daniel manages to convince Daisy to take her time. She has time before she has to meet with Nathaniel Malick, even though it's better to go sooner. Time to come up with a solid plan.

Time to say goodbye.

"I should go with you," Daniel protests softly, when they finally get a moment to themselves to process everything. "L.A. is my domain, I should be there when the Watchdogs are outed anyway — "

Daisy presses a finger to his lips. "No," she responds. "No, they need you in D.C."

"They have Peggy and Fury," he rationalizes. "They don't need me — "

"You know Peggy has to meet with the President at the same time to minimize the damage to S.H.I.E.L.D," she tells him. "She can't be there to give the authorization. It has to be you."

Daniel hangs his head, knowing she's right. The D.C. team needs him.

Yet, even though he knows Daisy can take care of herself, it terrifies him to think about how she's going into a city one explosion away from becoming a crater. She can barely risk quaking, in fear of setting the nuclear bomb off.

"You'll be fine," she reassures. "I'll be fine, too." She steps up and presses her mouth against his softly. He reigns her in, his hands on her hips, kissing her deeper. He gently pushes his cane aside so he can anchor himself to her instead.

He savors the feel of her lips against his, committing her gentle touch to memory. Everything about today is high-risk; there's a good chance they may never see each other again — whether it's because L.A. gets obliterated or all of S.H.I.E.L.D. gets arrested for their conspiracies. There's no telling how things will shape out.

There's only this moment. Here and now.

Daisy delicately pushes him down to the chair so she can sit astride him and kiss him even deeper. She peppers his face in kisses: his lips, his cheek, his jaw, his brow, his neck...everywhere she can reach. He pays her back in touch, trailing his hands along every patch of bare skin he can find.

Daniel debates how much time they have — firstly, before they have to go, and more importantly, how long until they're interrupted from their little bubble. He wants nothing more than to sink into her one last time, even if it's hurried and frantic and desperate, but knows that it just isn't rational right now.

But then Daisy grabs his hand and leads it down in between her thighs and whispers, "I need you," and all rational thought leaves his mind.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy only has half the mind to feel embarrassed when Coulson asks why she looks flushed when she and Daniel surface back to the common room. Daniel, she sees from the corner of her eye, turns extremely red and looks down with a rough cough. She elbows him in the ribs.

_ Way to be obvious, you dork, _ she thinks.

Kora gives the two of them a once over before giving Daisy a knowing raised eyebrow, and then it's Daisy's turn to look down at the floor like it's all-so interesting.

(Honestly? It kind of is. Pepper Potts — who Daisy assumes picked out this flooring — has exquisite taste.)

"Anyway," she says, despite there being no other subject to pivot from. And then leaves it at that.

"We've been talking," Coulson saves her without realizing. "The best course of action would be to have Tony and I go with you and Kora to L.A."

"I can't risk — "

Tony raises up a hand to silence her. "I'm the closest thing to a genius you got. If we need someone to disable a nuclear weapon, I'm probably your best chance."

"Since I'm needed at D.C," Howard fills in. Tony shoots him a dark look.

"But Fitz — "

"I'm your best chance," Tony repeats. "Plus, it doesn't help to have some air support."

Daisy can't object to that. It's strategic. Since Iron Man operates from the air, with thermal navigation, X-Ray capabilities, and so on, Malick's quakes shouldn't affect him as easily as those tied to the ground.

Coulson, on the other hand...

"I'm his handler," Coulson answers her unspoken question with a shrug. "Where he goes, I go."

Daisy gives a muted nod. She had thought she lost him; she couldn't bear anything like that actually happening. She needs him in her life. She doesn't know what she'd do if he got hurt because of her.

Their plan is solid. If she and Kora can isolate Malick, Iron Man can grab the nuke. Easy peasy. Sort of.

"Let me talk to my sister alone," Daisy blurts out suddenly.

While Kora looks at her a little surprised, and also a touch worried, everyone else seems to accept her request. They give them space, leaving the room.

Daisy sits down and pats the seat next to her.

"Am I in trouble?"

Daisy gives her a funny look. "Trouble? No."

Kora seems a little relieved and sits down. "I didn't know, I swear."

"I know you didn't," Daisy replies. She's not sure just how far things had gone between Nathaniel and Kora, but it was obvious that her sister was heavily manipulated in the situation. "I just need to know more about him before we go through with this."

_ Before anyone forces Kora to face him,  _ are the unspoken words.

"Oh," Kora says, but she frowns.

"Look, I know you've been through a lot," she tries to start, "but I'm here now — "

"I can take care of myself," Kora snaps half-heartedly.

Daisy gives her a sympathetic smile. "Having a power is not the same thing as taking care of yourself."

Kora gives her a strange look. Haunted, almost. Like she's looking right at a ghost. "You sound like Mom," she finally says.

"I wouldn't know," Daisy replies. Kora dips her head down, and that's when Daisy feels the confidence to ask the question that's been plaguing her mind since she was held hostage by Malick. "What did Mal — Nathaniel mean about...when he met you?"

She didn't know how exactly to phrase it delicately. Malick had insinuated that Kora may have been about to kill herself.

_ She was about to put a bullet through her pretty little skull. _

It's a scary thought.

Kora looks utterly horrified. Okay, maybe being delicate didn't help. "I couldn't control it," she admits. "My powers."

Daisy scrunches her brow. "So, your plan was to shoot yourself?" she asks incredulously. Kora looks ashamed and she immediately feels guilty for responding so negatively. So, she moves forward and wraps her arms around her sister, trying to be more comforting. "I'm sorry," she apologizes quietly. "I...I'm not judging. After Lincoln, I wasn't in a good place. I..."

She doesn't have to finish. Kora seems to understand. She hugs her tighter, the mutual comfort helping the both of them more than they can admit.

After a few minutes, Kora finally pulls away reluctantly. "Nathaniel was the one who found me. I should have found it strange — it was like he was watching me; he knew exactly when to step in. But I was just so thankful that he found me before I went through with it, and...I don't know."

"You fell in love with him," Daisy finishes.

Kora looks down, tears in her eyes. "Not at first," she admits. "We became friends first. He promised to help me with my powers. He said he had been studying supers for a long time — I know, another red flag, but I just didn't see that. Within a week, I went from fearing my powers to enjoying them.

"Nathaniel helped me create Starburst," Kora continues. "He was obsessed with the idea of me being the next big super. That part I did fight back on a little — Mom had always been so clear that our gifts were not a commodity, they were meant to  _ help  _ people. But Nathaniel was always so supportive..."

Daisy rubs Kora's shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry for doubting you about him," Kora tells her sadly. "As soon as I landed in New York, I felt awful. I just wanted to go back, but then Nathaniel had gotten angry that I had left you behind at all. He told me I was ruining everything."

"Ruining everything?"

"He was the one who pushed me to make things right with you," she admits. "He just wanted me to bring you to him. I didn't know. But when I realized, he — "

Daisy frowns. She thinks she knows the rest of this story. Nathaniel had taken her captive. "It's okay," she interrupts. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

"He's been obsessed with us for years," Kora tells her desperately. "He told me all about it. He's been Whitehall's apprentice since he was a teenager. When he found out Mom was alive, he wanted to wrap up 'loose ends'."

"So, he killed Jiaying," Daisy puts together.

"He killed Cal to break Whitehall out," Kora adds softly. "Daisy, I'm so sorry. I never should've — "

"I'm only going to say this one more time," Daisy starts suddenly. "This is not on you. Nathaniel manipulated you."

Kora wipes the tears away from her eyes and she nods quickly.

"You don't have to come to L.A. with me," Daisy tells her firmly. "You can stay here. You don't have to face him."

Kora then shakes her head. "No, no. I should be there. He deserves to suffer."

Daisy looks her in the eye, just to be sure, and sees no hesitation. Kora is ready. They share a small, hesitant smile before embracing each other again.

  
  


-

  
  


Daisy and Daniel only get a quick goodbye before the two groups splinter off into separate jets.

("I love you," he had said to her with every ounce of his heart showing on his sleeve. The unspoken fear that lingers between them whispers the possibilities that it might be the last time he ever says it.

She pressed her lips to his desperately, not caring about who saw.)

Less than an hour later, Daniel is in D.C, right outside of Fury's secret base. Even though Daisy won't end up in L.A. for a few more hours, he still worries about her the second she's out of his sight. He misses her spectacularly already.

He sees Steve and Peggy outside, seemingly sharing an intimate moment. They're holding each other close — she seems tiny against his large frame. They're not doing anything inappropriate, or even overly romantic, but Daniel feels like he's intruding on something extremely private.

It feels like eons ago that Daniel and Peggy had ever been a thing. They had, in their duration as a couple, worked well together. They trusted each other, loved each other, confided in each other... But, in the end, they simply didn't work.

For a long time, Daniel had blamed Steve. Not outwardly, never treating Steve any different, but deep within him, he always found himself attributing Steve to their inevitable break-up. Peggy had never been over the dashing hero. Daniel always felt like he had something to live up to.

_ No girl's gonna trade in a red, white, and blue shield for an aluminum crutch. _

But seeing Peggy and Steve so raw in this moment, and thinking about the way he feels about Daisy, he knows that there was more to it. Truth was, Daniel and Peggy just weren't romantically compatible. They had greater loves out there. Simple as that.

Peggy clears her throat and pulls away from Steve as she sees Daniel and Howard approaching. He sees her discreetly wipe the tears from her face.

"Well, Howard," she starts, plastering a bright smile to her face, "now that you're here, it's probably time to head to the White House. Get ahead of this. I trust the rest of you will handle the rest spectacularly."

"You know it," Daniel replies without hesitation.

Howard gives her a civil nod. Peggy looks back at Steve one last time. He gives her a reassuring smile.

And with that, the two head off to the Quinjet.

"I'm glad you guys aren't..." Daniel trails off awkwardly, looking away from Steve, unsure of how to phrase things.

Steve just gives him a kind shrug. "We love each other," he answers. "It'd take more than a couple secrets to take us down. Not if they were kept for the right reasons." He looks at Daniel for a long moment before adding, "I have a feeling you'd know a thing or two about that."

Daniel blinks. "I'm not sure if it's fair to compare," he starts slowly. There's no use denying it, he knows. He doesn't even think he wants to. He loves Daisy, despite her secrets and lies. He knows her heart was in the right place. (Yeah, so maybe they have a few things to work through. They've got time. Hopefully.) "You and Peggy are engaged. Me and Daisy, we're just — "

"Love is love," Steve interjects. "A ring doesn't change that."

There's an awkward pause when Daniel doesn't know how to respond to that. So, instead, after a minute, he says, "Hey, I am sorry about Bucky. I hope...I hope we can save him."

"Me too," Steve replies quietly. "But if you're gonna give me the 'if we can't' speech, I'm afraid Sam already beat you to that."

And honestly, Daniel hadn't even considered that option.

"We will," he assures. "Fury deprogrammed him once; we'll do it again."

Daniel doesn't think he's ever seen so much hope in Steve Roger's eyes.

  
  


-

  
  


When Quake steps foot on Los Angeles grounds, she feels like she's got a foot in the right direction.

She's on the right side of the continent, at least.

Otherwise, it's pretty much a mess.

Her emotions and control are through the roof. This bastard's got Jemma and is about to destroy the entire city. For what? Just to prove he can beat her?

She's gonna quake his psycho ass into oblivion.

Their welcome party consists of Mack — who is currently running the L.A. base — Slingshot, Robbie, and a hysterical Fitz (with a broken leg).

Fitz's eyes are so red and puffy that Quake takes pity and slides her mask off. It's a split-second decision, but one she makes confidently. Her secret has been spilled to so many people recently, what's a couple more people she trusts?

She immediately scoops Fitz into her arms and holds him close. In the corner of her eye, she can see Mack grumbling and handing Yo-Yo some bills — 

_ Wait. What? _

He seems to notice her confused glare and shrugs. "Makes about just as much sense as everything else around here," he admits.

"He's just bitter because he didn't think you'd ever reveal yourself," Yo-Yo says smugly, stuffing the cash in her pocket.

Daisy buries the moment of amusement to focus back on the miserable Fitz. "Hey," she assures, "I'll get her back. I promise."

"I tried to stop him," he tells her desperately, "but he dropped a building on me and — "

"He broke his leg pretty bad," Robbie fills in. "Mack found him there; got the rubble off of him, but..."

"Simmons was already gone," Mack continues. "Thought we almost lost Turbo for a second there, too."

"Okay," Daisy says, wanting to get the logistics out of the way, and quick. "We've got a plan."

"So do we," Robbie says.

"Not a very good plan," Mack points out with a dark expression in Robbie's direction.

Daisy shrugs. "Neither is ours. But, first step..."

The first thing she does is send a quake into the ground. It's subtle, but enough to let Malick know that she's here. She hopes it's enough to get him to retreat back to his little cave, wherever he's holding Jemma, and leave the L.A. residence alone.

Sure enough, mere moments later, Nova's — (Kora's new super name, under new management) — phone begins to ring and she pops out of the Quinjet.

"It's him," she says frantically, waving the phone at Quake. "It's Nathaniel."

She waves her hand over, beckoning Nova to hand her the phone. Iron Man begins to trace it just as Daisy answers, and Nathaniel immediately starts speaking. "Glad you're here, Quake!" he says a little too cheerfully for her taste. "Or do you prefer Daisy? I never really know with these supers..."

She doesn't reply.

"Now, where should we duel it out?" he asks. "The Griffith? Downtown — all the observers? Oh! Maybe the Hollywood — "

"How about you tell me where you are?" she interrupts impatiently. "You let Jemma go, hand over the nuke, and we can hug it out."

"If you want me to release your friend, I can work with that," he answers quickly. "I'm keeping the nuke. As collateral."

"Collateral for what?" Daisy scoffs. "If either of us try to quake near that thing, we both die."

"Oh, no, Quake," Nathaniel replies with a tone of mischief. "This is a special kind of bomb."

This makes her hesitate. What kind of bomb would that be? She looks over to Robbie, who gives her an uncertain nod. She swallows the uncertain bile in her throat. "Fine," she says finally. "Tell me where you wanna meet."

  
  


-

  
  


"Well, there goes our plan," Iron Man says, deadpan, after Daisy gets off of the phone with Malick. "How special can a nuke be, really? It's already fucking special."

Robbie gives them both a haunted look. "It's super, I think. Made with some kind of energy..." He looks at Daisy and finishes, "It's like that one that blew a hole in my chest."

She inhales deeply as she recalls her conclusion on the weapon.

_ Kora. _

She immediately turns to her sister, looking at her with wide eyes. Nova's eyes widen back. "What? Me? Nathaniel couldn't have — "

She stops suddenly, her eyes casting downward as she thinks about it. "He took blood samples," she admits quietly. "Like, a lot of blood samples. I didn't think..."

"Okay," Daisy says with a heavy sigh as she regards the rest of the group. "We've got a super bomb on our hands. So, what was  _ your  _ plan?"

Robbie scrunches his nose, frowning unpleasantly. "Well, Fitz has been doing some experiments on the Rider the past month — "

Fitz interrupts, "Yeah, and then Mack became the Rider for a while — "

"Which was not fun," Mack quickly interjects.

" — where we found out some interesting things about portals and transfers and all that," Fitz finishes.

"Hold on." Daisy holds up a hand to stop them. "I've been gone for, like, four days. What the hell has been going on?"

"I was there and even I don't understand it," Yo-Yo mutters.

"Is this why I have like thirty voicemails from Gabe on my broken phone?" Daisy asks, mostly to herself. (She had tried to hack into it on the Quinjet to see if there were any warnings about Malick, but couldn't listen to any of the actual messages.) "I just thought he missed me, or something."

Just another week at S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Anyway," Fitz continues, exasperated, "we think that the Ghost Rider can transport the nuke or super-bomb to another dimension."

"Hell," Mack clarifies.

The idea is enticing, sending Malick to the depths of Hell, but also utterly ridiculous. Hell? Really?

"Don't give me that look," Robbie snaps tiredly. "It's real. We were there briefly."

Mack gives an exhausted nod. "It sucked."

"So, the flaming guy can send people to Hell," Iron Man says. "That exists. I'm sufficiently terrified."

"It's not the Hell people think of," Robbie explains. "I don't know how to describe it. It's just...Hell. Fear dimension. Something like that."

"Okay," Daisy agrees. "The Rider opens up a portal to Hell and sends Malick and the bomb to another dimension. So, as soon as we get Jemma out of the building, we win, yeah?"

"It's not that simple," Fitz says sadly. "Based on our calculations of the gravity of the portal, the Rider gets sucked into the portal with him. And basically everything in the building."

"Ninety-nine percent chance of being sucked into Hell," Robbie says deadpanned. "Fitz here has the math all figured out."

"Hang on," Coulson speaks for the first time since they got here. It looks like his brain's been going at three-hundred miles per second. "That's the Ghost Rider."

"Get with the program, Agent," Iron Man mumbles. "You're embarrassing me."

Daisy blinks at Robbie, and honestly, she feels like her head is spinning too. The plan sounds fine and dandy, except for the fact that this means that he gets sucked into Hell.

"It's okay," Robbie says softly, looking right at Daisy as he gets closer. "I made a deal with the Rider to save Mack. It wants this. I accept it."

"Gabe?" she chokes out.

"I've said my goodbyes, even if he didn't realize," he tells her. "I left a letter for something a little more concrete. Mack promised he'd look out for him."

Daisy nods, her eyes wet. The relationship between her and Robbie ended so abruptly with the news of his secret identity that it never truly felt settled. She knows that he still loves her, in some way, but she's pushed it aside. She feels awful about it now, because even though she doesn't owe him anything back, she still cares for him. She wishes things could've been better resolved.

She knows she won't change his mind, so she wraps her arms around him warmly.

"Hey," he whispers. "Maybe this isn't even goodbye forever. Traveling through dimensions is kinda my superpower."

Daisy chuckles a little at that as she pulls away.

"Alright, then, let's go," she announces. Everyone blinks at her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Robbie asks, genuinely confused.

"Come on," Daisy laughs lightly. "Malick's not gonna let Jemma go if I'm not there." Robbie frowns. In fact, almost everyone in the room frowns. She looks at Fitz, who seems determined not to look her in the eye. "They said you calculated everything. What are the chances this works without me?"

"Sixty-four percent," he answers slowly, full of regret.

Mack stands. "But you said — "

"I made the calculations with Quake in mind," Fitz explains. "She's right. She's a part of the equation."

There's a haunted silence in the room.

Yo-Yo is the first to speak. "But we needed her for the Watchdogs. Malick's got them terrorizing L.A."

"I feel like this is a bad time to mention this," Iron Man says slowly, "but the Watchdogs aren't going to be a problem soon enough."

"What?" Mack asks sharply. "What's 'soon enough'?"

Iron Man looks at his wrist, which has nothing resembling a watch on it. "An hour, give or take. S.H.I.E.L.D's taking the whole thing down. Mutually assured destruction."

"So, it's settled, then," Daisy says brightly before anyone can digest that fully. She gives Coulson and Kora reassuring nods and smiles, even though she doesn't feel it herself. "Don't worry," she says, worrying a lot, "I'll grab Jemma and then leave the Rider to do his thing. It'll be fine."

This seems to appease everyone for the most part. Robbie gives her a hesitant nod before he zips up his jacket and heads out the door.

Coulson stares at her for a long moment, no expression betraying his face, before giving a single, firm nod.

Daisy is about to follow when — 

"Wait, Daisy," Fitz says quickly, grabbing onto her arm before she can go. "I calculated the chances of your survival and..."

"And?"

"It's only eight percent."

It's silent for a long moment before Daisy asks, "What is the probability of this working if I'm there? Of Malick getting sucked in, the bomb not going off until the portal closes? Whether or not I survive?"

Fitz hesitates. "Ninety-two percent."

She barely even has to think about it.

Daisy looks over at Kora, who looks back at her with pleading, desperate eyes. "Tell Daniel I'm sorry," she settles on. Then, she looks at Fitz and says, "I'll get Jemma back to you, I promise."

Before anyone can stop her, she places the Quake mask on and leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. That's a thing.
> 
> Did I say this fic would have a happy ending?
> 
> I mean, at least this time Fitz actually only broke his leg. Like, imagine that whole 5x22 scene but when they pull the debris away, it really is just a broken leg. That's happy, right?
> 
> Next time: Pain, death, angst. The whole shebang. Technically the last chapter, then a resolution/somewhat-epilogue.
> 
> If we get this to 30 comments, I'll post tomorrow. (If you saw the notes at the beginning, no you didn't.)


	19. you decide if darkness knows you well.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They got their hands on the super-serum, and BOOM." He mimes an explosion. "Nathaniel Malick has powers now."
> 
> "Chief Sousa," Pierce begins to seethe.
> 
> "What?" Daniel asks, voice filled with amusement. "Everyone here knows about the serum. Or is it the fact that the Watchdogs have had their hand on a prototype for quite some time that you didn't want getting out?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter. Everything kind of happens really fast.
> 
> I was actually way too nervous to proof-read it so hopefully, there aren't many mistakes...

Daniel can't help but feel the slightest bit smug when he sees Alexander Pierce's reaction to his presence.

"Chief Sousa," he says slowly, letting a fake smile cover his shock, "I would think you'd be in L.A, given the situation."

"I've got the best agents covering the area," Daniel replies coolly. "I thought my efforts would be better placed here, given that Captain America slipped through your hold."

Pierce's smile remains frozen on his face. "How gracious of you," he says entirely insincerely. "I believe the East Coast S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the case, but I am about to have a meeting with the World Council about Los Angeles — "

"Wonderful!" Daniel says brightly, walking forward. "I'd love to be a part, thank you."

The smile slips from Pierce's face for only a moment before he gives a cordial nod. He seems to see someone over the top of Daniel's shoulder and —

"Councilmen," he says a little loudly, just to get their attention. He approaches, and Pierce reaches his hand forward to shake each of the councilmens'. Daniel politely does the same after.

"Chief Daniel Sousa from the West Coast Division," he announces. "Mr. Pierce thought it might be best if you heard about the situation straight from the source."

He sends Pierce a challenging raised eyebrow as he narrows his eyes.

"And how was your flight, councilmen?" Pierce asks.

Councilwoman Hawley replies, "Lovely. The ride from the airport, less so."

Pierce gives Daniel a testy look as he begins to lead them all to to his office. "Sadly, S.H.I.E.L.D. can't control everything."

"Including Captain America," Councilman Rockwell shoots back.

Daniel chokes back a laugh at that.

"This facility is biometrically controlled, and these will give you unrestricted access," Pierce says, handing the councilmen each a pin.

They make their way to the upper offices. Pierce must know that Daniel is onto him — he's sending suspiciously dark looks and casting glances at his person security details. Daniel assumes they're Watchdogs and makes a mental note not to divert from the group. Pierce wouldn't dare have his men attack a Chief in front of a bunch of councilmen, would he?

When they're settled, Pierce begins. "Now, the situation in Los Angeles — "

"I think I can handle this," Daniel interrupts. 

Pierce sends him a glare before replacing it with an appreciative smile for the crowd. "Of course, Chief Sousa."

"Now, the situation in Los Angeles centers around a new super, Nathaniel Malick," Daniel explains to the councilmen. "Malick was an apprentice of Daniel Whitehall."

Everyone in the room glance at each other. So, they know those names.

"They got their hands on the super-serum, and BOOM." He mimes an explosion. "Nathaniel Malick has powers now."

"Chief Sousa," Pierce begins to seethe.

"What?" Daniel asks, voice filled with amusement. "Everyone here knows about the serum. Or is it the fact that the Watchdogs have had their hand on a prototype for quite some time that you didn't want getting out?"

The councilmen seem to all be whispering amongst themselves, sending worried glances at Pierce and the guards.

Councilwoman Hawley speaks up first, "Are you saying that terrorists have weaponized a S.H.I.E.L.D. serum?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, councilwoman," Daniel replies. "In fact — "

The intercom hums with a sudden static, indicating that it's on. Daniel points up. "In fact, that."

"Attention, all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents," a voice surges through the intercom. "This is Captain America. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by the Watchdogs. Alexander Pierce is their leader. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you."

Everyone looks around suspiciously. The councilmen begin to round on Pierce, who is staring at Daniel with a kind of smirk.

"I knew you were up to something," Pierce says, the smile growing.

"They almost have what they want: absolute control," Captain America continues. "They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. Truth is, I was not born a super. My powers were created with science. Now, the Watchdogs who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. have gotten their hands on that serum and they will kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

The static dies, and everyone turns to Pierce.

Councilman Rockwell steps up. "You smug son of a bitch."

Two agents pop into the room. Daniel only has a second to recognize them as Pierce's personal security before Councilman Singh turns to them and says, "Arrest him."

The agents are quick to point their guns at Daniel and the councilmen.

Alexander Pierce gives a wry smile, like he's won. "I guess I've got the floor."

And it begins.

"Hands up, boys," Pierce announces and Daniel reluctantly drops his cane and raises his hands. The agent grabs the gun from Daniel's holster. "And lady," he adds as he looks at Councilwoman Hawley.

"You can't seriously think you'll get away with this," Councilman Rockwell protests. "You'll have the whole world going after you, even if you keep us hostage."

Councilwoman Hawley looks between the guards quickly, calculating the gun pointed at Councilman Singh just by her.

Within seconds, she kicks the councilman away, spins the gun out of the agent's hand as she twists him to the floor. Before the other agent can react, Daniel throws himself at him, elbowing him tightly in the neck to send him to the floor. He grabs his gun back before punching the agent as he tries to rise. Councilwoman Hawley points the gun to Pierce, who steps back.

Daniel hobbles over to grab his cane just as the councilwoman reaches for her face and pulls a nano-mask off.

"I'm sorry," Agent Romanoff says as she takes off the wig. "Did I step on your moment?"

  
  


-

  
  


Even though Quake left the room in haste, Coulson is quick to follow her.

"I'm not going to change my mind," she insists when he finally catches up. "You can't stop me from doing this."

"Daisy," he says, trying to get her to pause for a second.

"This isn't just Jemma. This is all of Los Angeles," she explains. "If I don't go, he's gonna blow it all up. You can't — "

"I'm not trying to stop you," he blurts out, which is what gets her to stop walking. She turns to him. "I'm not going to stop you," he repeats. "We all know the mission comes first. But that doesn't mean you can't do everything in your power to beat the odds."

Quake blinks, surprised. "Well, I'm going to do my best to."

"Good," he replies with a light smile. "I'll make sure to get you a nice assortment of take-out for when you get back."

This makes Quake's eyes tear up and she gives him a watery smile. "You got it, sir."

"And I thought there would be someone you'd want to talk to," Coulson adds, nodding toward something behind her. Quake turns her head to see —

_ May. _

"What are you doing here?" she asks softly.

May shrugs. "I was headed to D.C. when Coulson told me about the change of plans," she says. "And now I'm hearing about this stupid plan of yours."

They stare at each other for a long moment before May pulls her into her arms. "Oh!" Quake exclaims. She doesn't think she's ever gotten May to hug her before. She must really be worried. She settles into it nicely, wrapping her arms around May closely, savoring the rare embrace. "This is new."

May pulls back, a light frown forming. "Sorry."

"No!" Quake quickly backtracks. "It's good. Just...new."

"Look," May starts after a moment. "I know you feel like you have to atone for things after what happened with Lincoln, but he wouldn't want you killing yourself — "

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make it back," Quake promises. Then, she quietly admits, "I have something worth living for."

Coulson gives her a knowing smile, and this seems to satisfy May enough.

"Give him hell," Coulson says. Then, he blinks. "Literally, I guess."

Quake gives a bright smile and nod. She tries not to let the weight of her impending doom drag her down. She still has a percentage chance of survival. Not a great one, but a chance.

She's always managed to survive in the past. She can survive this time, too.

But, just in case...

"Kora — "

"We'll look after her," May promises.

"Just make sure she doesn't blame herself," Quake says a little brokenly. "She thinks Malick is on her. If I die — "

"We'll take care of her," Coulson reiterates. "She'll always have a family to come back to."

Quake's heart swells as she gives them a watery smile.

That's what they did for her. They gave her a family — a home and people she truly cared about, who cared about her — when she had no one else to turn to. These people gave her everything.

There was a time when life was dark and she couldn't see the light ahead. Multiple times, if she's honest with herself. She hadn't been openly suicidal, but she wouldn't have been sorry to die, if it came around. She wouldn't have missed anything. Wouldn't have had any regrets.

This time around, she doesn't want to die.

She doesn't necessarily have  _ many _ regrets, but she does have a few.

She regrets not killing Whitehall and Malick when she had the chance.

She regrets not spending more time with the people she cares about.

And most of all, she regrets never saying it back.

She never told Daniel she loved him. She had stupidly just said, 'I think.' She had let all his other confessions go unanswered. Despite everything she had done, all the lies she had told, he still uttered those three words over and over every chance he could. He loved her.

And she just didn't have the courage to say it back. Not entirely.

"Can I borrow your phone?" she asks May. It feels stupid, as a final request of her adopted mom, but she hands it over without hesitation.

Quake gives them her final goodbyes, holding them close and making sure to tell them she loved them.

And then she heads out to Malick's location.

Quake feels stupid, leaving Daniel a voicemail. She knew he wouldn't be able to answer with everything probably going on in D.C, but a part of her had still hoped, for some reason, that he'd pick up.

She's actually surprised that he has a voicemail set up. It's one of those boring ones where it just has a robot repeating his number, so she can't even hear his voice for one last time. But, he has a voicemail. She can leave her voice for him, at least.

"I love you," she says. "Not, like, 'I think'. I  _ know  _ I love you. I'm really sorry I didn't say it before."

Quake debates saying a lot more. She wants to say she's sorry, but she's not even sure what for. Everything, maybe? She wants to ramble about her fears, her wishes, her dreams...

She sits on the voicemail for too long in silence, so she ends up just settling on, "Goodbye, Daniel."

She hangs up as she reaches the building. Robbie's waiting for her in his Charger. When he sees her, he steps out.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Robbie tells her as they look up at the building.

"Yeah, I do," she answers. "But it's alright. Soon enough, you'll turn into the Rider. He won't care."

"You'd be surprised," he replies softly.

Quake doesn't really have time to digest that right now. She's glad, at least, he doesn't know about her low chances. He probably thinks she's running on fifty-fifty right now, which isn't extraordinary for a super saving the world.

"Wait until Jemma walks out that door," Quake tells him. "Then, come in and we can send this son of a bitch down under."

And then she steps into the building.

  
  


-

  
  


Romanoff is typing on the computer quickly as Daniel keeps the gun pointed at Pierce, who just looks a bit annoyed by a minor inconvenience. It puts Daniel a little on edge, because he can't tell if it's because Pierce doesn't know how far S.H.I.E.L.D. is willing to go to take him down, or if he has something up his sleeve.

"Agents are cleared," Sharon's voice crackles in Daniel's comms.

"Falcon, status?" Hill's voice comes next.

"Engaging," Sam replies. There's a series of gunshots and crashing that can be heard. "Alright, Cap, I'm in."

Councilman Rockwell turns to Romanoff. "What are you doing?" he asks.

Before she or Daniel can respond, Pierce answers, "She's disabling security protocols and dumping all the secrets onto the Internet."

"Including the Watchdog's," Romanoff adds with a smirk.

"And S.H.I.E.L.D's," Pierce points out. "If you do this, none of your past is gonna remain hidden. Captain America is just a tip of the iceberg."

Romanoff continues typing into the computer, barely paying any attention to his words.

"Are you sure you're ready for the world to see you as you really are?" Pierce pushes.

"Are you?" Romanoff replies, finally casting him a glance. 

His smirk disappears off of his face, which makes one appear on Daniel's.

Bingo.

"But the identities — "

"Wiped from existence," Daniel fills in. "Not a single trace of it exists in any drive, any corner of the Internet. It's not even in our private records."

_ Thanks to Daisy. _

Pierce's mouth turns into a fine line as he considers another approach. "Disabling the encryption is an executive order, it takes three top-level Chiefs or higher," he reasons. "I don't believe you have Alpha Level, Agent Romanoff. Not even Steve Rogers does. So unless you've got Director Carter..."

"Don't worry," Romanoff says, "company's coming."

Right on cue, a helicopter appears outside. It lands right above them, and minutes later, Fury steps into the room.

Pierce looks like he's seen a ghost. He may as well have.

But he recovers quickly, giving Fury a small smirk. "Did you get my flowers?" Fury looks at him coldly. "I'm glad you're here, Nick."

Fury gives him a bit of an incredulous look, this time. "Really? Cause I thought you had me killed."

Pierce gives a helpless shrug. "You know how the game works."

"So why make me Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D?" he asks. "Why petition me for the next Director?"

Daniel blinks. This is news to him. Peggy had told him that  _ he _ would be the next Director. He didn't ask for it; he didn't think anyone was petitioning for it. And Peggy loved Fury. Why had she picked Daniel over him?

"Cause you were the best and the most ruthless person I ever met," Pierce answers Fury.

"I did what I did to protect people."

Pierce steps forward. "Our enemies are your enemies, Nick. Disorder, war. It's just a matter of time before a super takes too much advantage. These people can tear us apart if we keep coddling them. Diplomacy? Holding action, a band-aid. And you know where I learned that; Bogota.

"You didn't ask, you just did what had to be done," Pierce continues. "I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people by just being the first one to take the shot. Kill the supers, replace them with soldiers we trust. It's the next step, Nick, if you have the courage to take it."

So, that's their plan. Daniel almost is taken aback by it. He's known that the Watchdogs wanted to take the supers down, of course, but this...

"No," Fury responds firmly. "I have the courage not to."

He just about drags Pierce to the retinal scanner as Daniel follows, still keep his gun trained on Pierce.

"Retinal scanner active," the computer says out loud as Daniel leans forward. The computer scans it, then waits.

Pierce laughs. "You don't you think we wiped your clearance from the system?"

"I know you erased my password, probably deleted my retinal scan, but if you want to stay ahead of me, Mr. Secretary…"

Fury removes his eyepatch to reveal his scarred dead eye.

"You need to keep both eyes open."

Fury leans toward the retinal scanner and pushes Pierce to do the same.

"Alpha Level confirmed," the computer announces. "Encryption code accepted. Safeguards removed."

  
  


-

  
  


Quake finds Jemma in record time.

"Daisy?" she asks groggily, barely hanging onto consciousness. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," she whispers. She begins to untie Jemma. Malick is nowhere in sight, and she wants to keep it that way until Jemma is safe. She's not strapped to the bomb anymore, which is a plus. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah," Jemma responds quietly. "I think I'm heavily concussed. But I'm self-diagnosing, so I'm still aware enough. I just..."

"You'll get medical help the second we get you out of here," Quake finishes. She hauls Jemma up, supporting her weight as she is freed from her restraints.

Where is Malick?

They make their way through the halls. They're slower than Quake would like, but it's faster than if Jemma were dead weight, so they carry on.

Until they're both flying through the air. Quake's head hits the wall with a sickening crunch, Jemma landing more delicately next to her.

"Did you really think it'd be that easy?" Malick's voice comes up. Quake manages to lift her head just enough to see him come into focus. He's waving the bomb in his hands.

_ Fuck _ .

"You promised you'd let Jemma go," she pleads as she stands up, placing her hands up in surrender. "Just let me get her out — "

"I didn't promise anything," Malick points out. "I said we could work something out."

"Please," Quake begs as Jemma begins to sit up slowly. "Once she's safe, we'll play your stupid game."

He laughs evilly, and for a moment, she's terrified that he's not going to agree. But then he nods to Jemma. "You heard you friend," he says. "Better get running."

Quake turns to Jemma quickly. "Go. Iron Man is circling outside; he'll take you to medical."

"Daisy — "

"Don't wait up."

Jemma hesitates, then nods. She turns around and heads down the hallway as fast as she can.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Malick admits cruelly as he holds up the bomb. "If I set this off, all of Los Angeles dies."

"You wouldn't," Quake seethes out. "You love yourself too much to kill yourself."

"I love myself enough to know when to quit," Malick corrects. "But I have a feeling I'm gonna win this fight."

"It took me years to gain control of my powers," Quake points out. "I doubt some weasel who got it a couple days ago won't be an issue."

"You know," he says, stepping forward as he observes his hands, "I've been studying your powers for years. I have a pretty good idea of the theory of it all. The cracking bones were a shock, I'll admit, but overall, I have something you don't."

"Oh, yeah?" Quake shoots back. "What's that?"

"I'm not afraid to tear this city apart," he says before throwing a powerful quake toward her. She barely manages to dodge it before it crashes into the wall behind it, exploding it.

_ Shit. _

He's right.

Quake has always been somewhat held back when it came to her powers, because her full potential was too destructive. If she unleashed it in full, she could tear a whole continent apart.

She thinks Malick probably only has a fraction of that power, given how new it is, but still.

"Another thing," Malick says. "You may want to be careful. This little super-bomb is quite resilient, but fire does set it off. I made sure to set the walls with C-4. One wrong move, and we all go."

_ Fuck. _

If no fire, that means the Ghost Rider is going to have a hard time doing his part of the mission.

And she has to be extra careful with her quakes. She can't miss her target — hitting a wall might mean the end.

"Your powers are so exhilarating," Malick says. "Feeling the buzzing beneath my skin... I'm glad I chose you."

Quake stands, curling her fingers. "But now there can only be one Quake or something? Is that what this is?"

"May the best one win," he says with a cruel smile before thrusting his hand out. Quake is quick to counter it, letting the quakes hit each other and fight. She pushes forward, just until she's close enough to let go of the quake and knock him to the side with a kick to the head.

"I always thought the purple was a little dramatic," he admits as he wipes the blood off of his mouth.

"Compared to you, who decided a trenchcoat was sufficient," she retorts back. "Not even concealing your identity? You're breaking all the rules."

"What can I say?" He shrugs with a small smile. "I like a little anarchy."

Quake pushes his powers toward him, trying to incapacitate him. He quickly counters.

Damn, she wishes she got her powers in control this fast.

"I've studied your history, know all the enemies you've faced," he says. God, does he ever stop talking? She's trying to save the world here. "I am honored to be the last."

"If you've seen my battles, you know how this will end," she retorts.

"You know, I don't," he confesses. "Can't wait to see how it plays out. Like it did with your mother, maybe? The only enemy we both fought. Someone needed to rescue you, whereas I snapped her neck, fair and square."

Quake, nearly forgetting about the looming threat of explosives, shoots a powerful blast at him. He blocks it expertly, then gives a disapproving laugh.

"Talk about breaking the rules," he says with glee. "You brought a friend."

Quake turns around to see the Ghost Rider right behind her. She moves out of the way just as he lunges at Malick.

"Don't touch the bomb!" she cries out. "It sets off with fire!"

She's not sure if the Rider heard her, but she hopes he did. Malick gets a mischievous look in his eye that she really doesn't like, casts a mirthful glance at Quake, and throws the bomb at Ghost Rider while he's down.

Quake braces, ready to attempt to implode the building before a nuke sets off, but nothing happens.

She looks up and sees Robbie — not Ghost Rider — clutching the glowing super-bomb.

"There we go," Malick says brightly.

And then he quakes all of Robbie's bones apart.

  
  


-

  
  


"Done," Romanoff announces as she presses the enter key on the computer. She picks up her phone and raises an eyebrow. "And it's trending."

Pierce looks angry, nearly defeated, before he presses a button. Daniel doesn't have the time to stop him, and then the council members drop quickly, as the bio pins that were given burn deeply into their sternum.

Daniel, Fury, and Romanoff are all quick to point their guns at him.

"Unless you want two inch hole in your sternum, I'd put that gun down," he says to Romanoff, but she doesn't back down. "That was armed the moment you pinned it on."

Reluctantly, they all put their weapons down. Pierce looks victorious.

And then Captain America calls out in Daniel's earpiece, "Bucky's here! They're extracting him!"

"Don't do it," Daniel whispers. He's not even sure if he's talking to Pierce or Steve.

"Cap, not the time!" Falcon yells out.

"We don't know when we'll have a chance again!" Cap calls back. "I'm gonna go after him!"

"You know, there was a time I would have taken a bullet for you," Fury says sadly.

"You already did," Pierce replies. "You will again when it's useful."

Before Daniel can react, Romanoff convulses and she's down on the ground. He drops next to her, fearing the worst, but there's no hole through her sternum. Instead, the chip is disabled, and she's holding a miniature EMP.

"Romanoff!" he whispers, shaking her lightly.

There's two shots from behind him, and Alexander Pierce is down.

Seconds later, Fury is next to him, leaning by Romanoff. "Natasha! Natasha, come on!"

She opens her eyes slowly, her face scrunching up in pain. "Ow," she finally speaks up. "Those really do sting."

They both help her sit up.

"Hill, where's Steve? You got a location on Rogers?"

"Cap's down," Sam says over the comms quietly.

Daniel pauses. He brings a hand to his ear and presses. "Repeat?"

"Cap's down," Sam repeats slowly, his voice thick. "I don't think it's the kind where he gets back up."

  
  


-

  
  


This is going really badly. They're fucked. They're so fucked.

Quake cringes as she looks at Robbie in between her and Malick's quakes. He's messed up pretty good — she can see his bones protruding from his skin. She can see his skin lighting up, and then calming down as he screams out. The pain seems to be preventing the transformation. But he's gaining strength, and quick. He's healing.

She just has to keep Malick from noticing that bit.

"Do you think you're winning?" Quake asks as they both pause from the exhaustion of overusing their powers. "'Cause I can't tell."

"It's a close one, but I could go all day," Malick responds with a small grin.

She sees Robbie give her a pained look and she gives him a subtle nod.

Whatever it takes.

"Good," she says, looking back at Malick. "That's what we were hoping for."

He laughs. "Is that right?"

Quake can't help but feel triumphant as she looks at Robbie, and sees it's Ghost Riders back. And that's not all...

The super-bomb is gone. Disappeared through —

The portal.

"Those sparks?" she points out. "The Ghost Rider's got a portal to a different dimension. You and that nuke are going to literal hell."

Malick roars and pushes her into the wall, holding her up. They're thinking about the same thing — the explosives in the building. If she quakes him out of this position and into the Ghost Rider's portal, it all explodes.

"You wouldn't," he points out confidently. "There is no way to kill me without killing yourself."

But there's no super-bomb, anymore. The Ghost Rider took care of it. The room is starting to cave in, sucking everything into the portal.

The Rider is not going to be able to hold on. Malick's powers will anchor him for longer.

Quake begins to grab onto Malick's hand. And, for the first time, she sees real fear in his eyes.

"That's the idea," she tells him.

She can't help but feel an immense rush of joy at seeing the panic on Nathaniel's face as she  _ pushes _ and he's sent flying into the arms of the Ghost Rider.

Quake sees a rising fire encasing his body and then they disappear, along with the nuke, just as her quakes hit the explosives.

There's a bright flash of white and then —

.

.

.

Nothing.

  
  


-

  
  


Across the country, Daniel watches the news in horror.

The building explodes.

But.

_ But. _

It's just the building.

There's no nuke. No further blast.

_ They did it. _

"There's no way the supers could've survived that," the news reporters state, trying to contain their panic as they film the scene.

But Daniel knows better.

Until.

"There are reports of a body!" a reporter yells out. "They found someone!"

And Quake's limp figure is shown on the screen.

_ No. _

It's not until he sees Jemma Simmons launch across the screen and clings to Quake's body in tears while a sobbing Starlight is held back by Iron Man does Daniel truly realize.

_ Daisy is dead. _

Daniel's heart clenches as it hits him and then —

.

.

.

Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um.
> 
> Don't kill me yet?
> 
> We still have a chapter to go. And, hey, Malick gets to spend an eternity in hell.
> 
> Next time: The world mourns a hero. A new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is appointed. A path ahead is forged.
> 
> Next chapter is the absolute last. I cannot believe it. I will be posting a side fic tomorrow to prep for it, so be sure to keep an eye on my account (I will be posting it separately as a one-shot). Then, on Monday, it's all over.


	20. that's all that love ever taught me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The funeral is beautiful.
> 
> Daisy was right, Daniel thinks painfully. It's the heart that matters, not the power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.
> 
> This is it.
> 
> The last chapter ever.
> 
> I'm honestly really nervous to be posting this right now. I'm not sure if it really does the entirety of this fic justice. It has most of what I envisioned as a conclusion, but it's just... I don't know. I hope it's up to expectations.
> 
> It's like half a resolution, half an epilogue. It's got an odd format, but hopefully it's not too confusing!
> 
> I have a whole lot of endnotes and all that, but for now...just enjoy this chapter.

Death is different than she imagined.

She's not in hell, but she doesn't think she's in heaven either. Purgatory, maybe?

It's odd, because she's never believed in any kind of afterlife, really. She just thought that death would be the end. That's it. Maybe some life flashing before your eyes, but then it's gone.

The surroundings are odd. It's bright, but she can make out the setting of a train platform.

Hang on.

Is this Platform 9 ¾?

So, Harry Potter got the afterlife correct. So, that's something.

Daisy doesn't really know what to make of that.

Then, she sees Lincoln. He's waiting for her.

Okay, so, she's  _ definitely  _ dead.

"Next, you'll start spouting Dumbledore quotes at me," she jokes.

Lincoln smiles. "Only if you will me to."

Daisy finds the wording of that a little strange, but she waves it off. She walks over to him and puts her arms around him in a warm embrace. Part of her is a little surprised that she can touch and feel him — he's not just some ghost — but there's something off about it as well.

"What's death like?" Daisy asks.

"I wouldn't know," Lincoln tells her. "I'm tied to your experiences."

"That's vague," she comments, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lincoln gives her a look. "I am your conscience is trying to make sense of random synapses firing off in your brain."

_ Huh. _

"You sure?" Daisy asks with a light smile. "I'm not sure I even know those words. They're too big for me."

"You've heard me say them once or twice," he explains. "Your brain picks up much more than you realize."

"Is that why we're in Harry Potter world over here?" she asks.

"Hope," Lincoln answers mysteriously. "You've always liked the idea of a choice. Like Harry Potter did."

"I mean, he was a wizard," Daisy points out. "Coming back from the dead was probably like, a Tuesday for that lot." Lincoln — or her subconscious, whatever he is — doesn't respond to that. So, she asks, "Is that what this is? A choice?"

"You're not dead," he tells her. "Not yet. You may not believe in an afterlife, necessarily, but you do believe in souls. The Ghost Rider has shown that much is true."

So, this was some 'soul-hasn't-left-my-body' shit or something? Weird.

"You can stay," Lincoln continues. "You can find out if there really is an afterlife. You can be at peace."

His hand reaches out, inviting and warm, and for a minute, Daisy considers it. She considers giving up the fight, just finally being at peace. But then, the world spins around her, lurching her forward and back, until it calms and she's standing in front of Daniel Sousa.

"Or you can fight," Daniel tells her. "If you want to go home, you have got to fight."

  
  


-

  
  


The funeral is beautiful.

_ Daisy was right, _ Daniel thinks painfully.  _ It's the heart that matters, not the power. _

Everyone was paying their respects to the fallen hero. Memorials popped up all over the country — and even internationally — with heartfelt tributes and notes and prayers.

As Daniel stands by Peggy, they grip each other's hands tightly, and he couldn't help but let a couple tears fall. Peggy, on the other hand, stands tall and somber. Her speeches are steady and unwavering.

If he didn't know better, he would've never guessed she just lost the love of her life.

  
  


-

  
  


(Peggy Carter had stood in front of the world, courageously, and laid out S.H.I.E.L.D's misdeeds and Watchdog infiltration for everyone to see. Every news channel was covering her or Los Angeles or the Triskelion. Everyone knew S.H.I.E.L.D's dirty little secrets.

As soon as the press conference was open to questions, the room exploded. Everyone buzzed and inquired, until one reporter asked, "Director Carter, are you yet aware of the deaths of the supers known as Quake and Captain America?"

If the world knew Peggy Carter, they would've seen how her heart shattered to a million pieces in that moment. How everything stopped, that nothing mattered. The world just fell away.

But the world didn't know Peggy Carter. All they saw was a solemn smile as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. leaned into the mic to say, "They were noble heroes. S.H.I.E.L.D. will forever be in their debt.")

  
  


-

  
  


(With a lump in his throat, Daniel had checked his phone immediately after hearing the news. He begged the universe that it wasn't true. That this is all just some extensive ploy. Daisy's alive, she has to be.

His heart rate picks up as he finds an unheard voice message. He dials.

"I love you," she says into the phone. "Not, like, 'I think'. I  _ know  _ I love you. I'm really sorry I didn't say it before."

A part of Daniel feels a sense of peace to hear it. He loves her, she loves him, and nothing else matters.

Except.

_ Except. _

It sounds too much like a goodbye.

He watches the news in agony.)

  
  


-

  
  


Daniel noticed how the following week leading up to the funeral seemed to be in a daze for Peggy. He thinks it's the shock. She's always had a way of compartmentalizing everything, folding it away in a tight little box until it consumes her.

Daniel thinks he knows how she feels, in a way.

He's been compartmentalizing so much for so long. And doing quite an awful job, while at it. He's felt nothing but numbness whenever he thinks about how he witnessed Daisy die. He watched helplessly from across the country as Simmons had desperately tried to resuscitate her, until she had given up and the T.V. had cut to something different.

Daniel could only think about how he failed her again. He got a second chance, and he lost her.

They never found the body of Captain America. No one knows what really happened. One second, he was jumping onto the helicopter that was herding the Winter Soldier away, and the next, the Falcon had seen him plunge into the icy depths of the river after the aircraft burst into flames.

They had found the Winter Soldier.

It was Bucky Barnes that told them that Steve was dead before he ever hit the water.

Daniel watches as Peggy hands off Captain America's shield to Sam Wilson. "He'd want you to have it," she tells him quietly, off on the side. The world needs a new symbol. The public had sided with S.H.I.E.L.D, citing Captain America's heart and sacrifice.

After Sam walks away, taking the shield graciously, Daniel approaches Peggy.

"How are you holding up?" he asks her. He feels a little stupid asking such a silly question, but then, something unexpected happens.

She smiles.

"I'm retiring, Daniel."

It's not a surprise to him, no. They had discussed it at length multiple times throughout the week. Even without the tragedy of Captain America, it would be for the best for S.H.I.E.L.D. to be rebranded under all the controversies.

He remembers when Peggy had first told Daniel that he'd be the next Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. It felt like years ago, but it's only been a couple of months. Steve and Peggy were newly engaged. They wanted to start a family.

Daniel doubts that the funeral was a part of her retirement plan, but here she stands, proud and joyful, and for a brief moment, he wonders...

The world mourns Captain America.

Peggy Carter does not.

  
  


-

  
  


(Natasha Romanoff stood in front of a committee, looking into the wrongdoings of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was something that everyone at the Triskelion had to do, broadcasted live to the American people.

"Agent, you should know that there are some on this committee who feel, given your service record, both for this country and against it, that you belong in a penitentiary, not mouthing off on Capitol Hill," one member had said.

Romanoff had smiled. "You're not gonna put me in a prison," she responded back. "You're not gonna put any of us in a prison. You know why?"

"Do enlighten us."

"Because you need us," she said plainly. "Yes, the world is a vulnerable place, and yes, we helped make it that way. But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it. So if you want to arrest me, arrest me. You'll know where to find me."

No one had argued with her. No one had tried to stop her as she left the hearing.

In fact, the world rallied behind her.)

  
  


-

  
  


After Peggy leaves, Daniel is left by himself, standing by Captain America's grave.

It feels cruel, that the world doesn't even know the person behind the mask. Steve Rogers is nothing but a whisper, reserved to those he loved.

"Hey, there, Director," a voice says from behind him. He turns and grins.

"Gotta say, feels weird to have you calling me that."

"Would you prefer 'Danny Boy'?" she asks, which makes Daniel laugh. Despite the weight of everything that's been going on, he feels lighter than he has in years.

He loves her. God, he loves her.

"Good to see you on your feet," he says.

"I owed it to Steve, to be here." Daisy walks up to him to link her fingers with his as they look at the tombstone. "Do you think he's really gone?" she asks, leaning into him.

Daniel thinks of Peggy's bright smile as she departed. About how they never found a body. The strangeness of Bucky's return and cryptic words. "I think the Captain America we knew is gone," he answers finally. "But the grave doesn't say Steve Rogers. I think that says something."

Daisy frowns. "I think it says less than you think," she replies quietly. "Lincoln never got a grave. I wouldn't have gotten one."

A sharpness hits Daniel's chest as he thinks about Daisy's death, again. He really, truly thought he lost her. She had actually been dead, this time. It wasn't a game, or a trick, or a misunderstanding. He saw her body on screen. Her friends and family had held her, declared no pulse, and mourned.

This very well could've been Quake's funeral. It could've been Quake's grave he was staring at. The lack of Daisy's name on the stone that would've set him off.

  
  


-

  
  


(When Daisy wakes up, she feels hot.

A deep warmth surges through her and she gasps as her eyes fly open.

Nova sits right above her, her hands on her face, guiding her powerful energy down. The light fills Daisy, makes her feel more alive than she ever has, and gives her strength.

After that, she notices everyone else. Simmons is there. Coulson and May, too. Iron Man, Mack, and Fitz are in the distance.

"You're okay," Kora says, mostly to herself.

The warmth leaves Daisy as Kora's hands moves, and the pain sets in. Her bones feel brittle and her whole body is stiff.

But she's  _ alive. _

She doesn't remember anything else between the explosion and her revival. It's just a black nothingness.

She feels lighter anyway, like something was resolved.)

  
  


-

  
  


(Gabe comes to visit her in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital. She's scared to look him in the eye after what happened with Robbie, but Mack assures her that the kid doesn't seem angry.

No, he's just  _ sad. _

Things hadn't been going well, between the brothers. Ever since Gabe found out that Robbie was the Ghost Rider, he had grown distant and bitter. His brother was a serial killer. Daisy's attempts at meddling did little to help.

"I knew Robbie was disturbed, but... But I was afraid that was 'cause of me...cause I was holding him back," Gabe admits to her now, after processing Robbie fate.

"No," Daisy assures, "You were what he held onto. You grounded him."

"But I wanted him to leave," he replies brokenly. "You know, figure himself out. I didn't know that was what he was up against."

"Your brother loves you more than anything," she tells him, voice filled with confidence. There was no doubt about it in her mind.

Gabe's silent for a moment before replying, "I just wish we had talked. You really think he's not gone?"

Daisy thought of the pain of Lincoln's death. Of her biological parents. Of all the friends she lost along the way.

"I know the feeling when someone's gone," she says slowly, "and I don't feel that now."

  
  


-

  
  


(Daisy only has to wait a little while longer before Daniel arrives.

He rushes into the room, but then pauses at the doorway, looking hesitant. "I came as fast as I could," he admits breathily. "But the reporters and — "

She smiles and holds out a hand. That's all it takes for Daniel to surge forward and grip onto it tightly, sitting at her bedside. She moves up a little, trying to get closer, but the damage on her body protests. Daniel's free hand immediately moves to steady her.

"You really scared me there," he admits quietly as he rubs her shoulder. Daisy gives him a sad smile. "Please do not do that again."

"Die?" Daisy asks, deadpan. "Yes, Chief."

Daniel gives her an unimpressed look through all his worry and grief, and then he bites the corner of his lip. "Actually," he tells her slowly, "it's 'Director' now. Or, it will be in a few days."

This surprises her, actually. She's been watching the news fairly diligently. She cried silently over the loss of Steve, watched as her friends and bosses got interrogated on live T.V, saw the world campaigning both for the fall and rise of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Quake, surprisingly, has been branded as a hero. A spy against the Watchdogs. Somehow, she's been cleared of all her illegal actions as a vigilante.

"Guess I'm gonna need to start calling you Director, then, Chief," she says with a raised eyebrow. Daniel stares at her for a long moment before leaning forward and kissing her lightly. Something about it feels hesitant, like he's not sure that this is okay, so she uses the strength she has to lift her hands and pull him closer.

When they finally pull away, he has a look on his face she can't quite decipher.

"I got your voicemail," he whispers. She flushes, feeling a bit embarrassed. That was something she assumed she'd, like,  _ die  _ and never have to deal with. Surviving can be a bitch, sometimes.

But he looks at her like she's his whole world. Nothing else matters to either of them, so she doubles down.

"I love you," Daisy tells him.

Daniel smiles. "I love you, too.")

  
  


-

  
  


"So, what's next, Director?" Daisy asks later, once they've walked away from the graveyard. "Am I even allowed to be dating a Director of S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Dating?" Daniel asks, resisting a smile.

She sends him a pointed look. "I mean, what would you call it?"

"Going steady?" he suggests. She pushes his shoulder playfully, a grin playing on her lips.

He's not exactly sure what Daisy went through when she died, but it seemed to have a profound impact on her. She's bubbly and happy. She's like the light at the end of the tunnel, for him. He doesn't think he can love anyone more.

"It's not an issue," he answers her previous question. "But..."

"We've got a lot to talk about, don't we?" she asks, a little more solemn, but still light. "I mean, I wouldn't say we had the most ideal start to a relationship."

"No, we haven't," he agrees. "But I don't think I would change a thing."

She scrunches her nose. "Really?" she asks, and he nods. "Because I probably would've changed a lot."

"Having regrets, Quake?" he teases.

Instead of responding right away, she cups his face with her hands and guides him into a soft kiss. He savors it, letting his fingers tangle in her hair as he nuzzles her nose lightly. When she breaks their lips apart, he presses his forehead against hers, keeping his eyes closed.

"Not if you'll have me," Daisy answers eventually.

His hands move from her hair to place them overtop of her fingers, looking her in the eyes.

"Good," he says, "because I don't plan on letting you go."

Daniel presses his lips to her fingertips lightly, hoping that his words register as a promise, and that the kiss Daisy gives him after is a promise in return.

Time and space couldn't keep them apart, even if it tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit confusing, I know, because everything comes from the perspective of Daisy and/or Daniel. But, to clarify the open-endness of Peggy's story: Steve isn't dead. They're dancing in a house somewhere. À la Endgame.
> 
> And Daisy and Daniel got their happy ending!
> 
> I'm gonna be sentimental for a hot minute.
> 
> It's been some years since I've written fics like this. I've written some one-shots here and there, but honestly, I've always felt more comfortable with screenwriting. I think it shows in my fics too — I'm way more about dialogue and actions than straight-up emotions (but I have been dabbling). For some odd reason, with Dousy, I felt compelled to write narrative fics and I've been utterly overwhelmed by the response I've gotten. The fandom was super supportive and, to my shock, actually liked my writing. All We Do Is Drive and You've Got That Power are the top two Dousy fics by kudos. I just...
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> I do really have to get back to screenwriting because I am so behind on my fan Marauders' Era teleplays, but you have all convinced me that I dip my toes in the narrative world more. I have more fics I'm working on (not Dousy, sorry), as well as the fact that I'm finally delving into the novel I've had planned for nearly a decade now.
> 
> I really appreciate you all. Let's keep in touch! I'm on @oswinss on Twitter and romantasha on Tumblr.
> 
> P.S. Be sure to check out the sidefic! It's all the different reveals that could have happened.
> 
> Thank you all, again, so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all input is greatly appreciated.


End file.
